Maro Itoje should captain the British and Irish Lions on New Zealand tour, says Lewis Moody

Safe hands: Maro Itoje is a rookie at Test level with just seven England caps but Lewis Moody says the Sarries lock has what it takes to captain the Lions
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Chris Jones8 September 2016

Lewis Moody believes England sensation Maro Itoje should captain the British and Irish Lions on their 10-match tour of New Zealand next summer.

England captain Dylan Hartley and Welsh pair Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones, both of whom led the Lions during their series triumph in Australia in 2013, are the front runners but Moody insists 21-year-old Saracens lock Itoje could be the surprise choice of head coach Warrant Gatland to face the All Blacks.

Itoje has won just seven England caps and is about to start his second full season at Test level, having helped Sarries become European and English champions. If he was named captain, he would become the youngest player to hold the honour — England’s Frank Stout has the record after leading the team in 1899 at the age of 22.

However, Moody, the former England captain and a member of the 2005 Lions who lost all three games of the Test series against New Zealand, does not see inexperience being a factor.

He said: “My left-field choice would be Itoje because I see a little of Martin Johnson in him. In 1997, Jonno was named Lions captain to face South Africa when he didn’t have that much experience at that point and Maro, last season, was consistently the best player in the four home unions.

“If Maro can maintain that form then he is a possibility because he is just everywhere and I would definitely have him playing No6. He is Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate and Courtney Lawes all rolled into one.

“Like Jonno, he is a natural leader, although Warburton did a wonderful job in Australia. Dylan is having a great run with England but will he be first-choice hooker with Jamie George pushing hard for a starting place? Alun Wyn Jones is a hard-nosed individual who is straight-talking. However, I would be surprised if he ended up as the captain.”

Gatland, who will watch the All Blacks take on Argentina in Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash in Hamilton, is keeping an open mind on his potential captain. He said: “Apart from the obvious names, there will be others who come into the equation before the end of the season.

“When you select a squad it is easy to select players coming out of winning environments. It’s the same with captains. Always the Lions captain is the most difficult decision. If I am picking a captain, I ask whether the player is going to start in the Test team if his form is good.

“But there is still no guarantee. I would have no problem dropping a tour captain if I felt someone was playing better.”

‘In Maro, I see a little of Martin Johnson. He is a natural leader and I don’t see his inexperience as a factor’  

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Moody was part of a 44-strong Lions squad — plus 26 backroom staff — under the control of Sir Clive Woodward in 2005 and he scored a try in the final Test against the All Blacks. The former Leicester flanker is urging Gatland to avoid that kind of bloated squad and to instead opt for a number in “the high 30s” to ensure everyone feels part of the same tour.

Moody said: “Keeping a 44-strong squad happy over the course of a tour is very difficult. Gatland will use a similar formula to the one that brought him a series win in Australia in 2013 and the crux of a Lions tour is to get a group of lads together as quickly as possible who want to fight for each other on the pitch.

“We got that wrong in 2005 and Gatland is best-placed to get it right.”

Lewis Moody is a Land Rover Ambassador. Land Rover is a Principal Partner and Official Vehicle of The British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand 2017. Follow @LandRoverRugby

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