British and Irish Lions: Five potential captaincy candidates after the Six Nations as new ‘man in waiting’ emerges
From left to right: Maro Itoje, Jac Morgan and Caelan Doris
Before the Six Nations, the British and Irish Lions captaincy seemed as good as confirmed, but now Andy Farrell has a major headache.
Pre-Championship, Planet Rugby broke down the 10 leading candidates, but with injuries to key players, new captains and leaders emerging and maybe even some playing their way out of contention, it seems to be anyone’s game.
Caelan Doris was miles ahead of the chasing pack before the Six Nations, and while he will undoubtedly be in contention, fellow national captains Maro Itoje and Jac Morgan have pushed themselves higher up the conversation following their outstanding campaigns, and there could be a few others in the mix as well.
But, where do they all sit in the pecking order? Well, here is our assessment of the leading contenders for the British and Irish Lions captaincy.
Frontrunner: Maro Itoje
As mentioned above, Doris was the leading contender before the Championship, but Itoje’s performances throughout have seen him leapfrog the Irish eight to become the man in waiting. The towering lock took over the captaincy from Jamie George, but it brought the very best out of him as he excelled for Steve Borthwick’s side.
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He has always been a key leader within the England squad, but that really came to the fore this Six Nations as he broke his side’s second-half hoodoo and helped turn them into a winning team again. That should certainly grab the attention of Andy Farrell.
In the mix: Jac Morgan and Caelan Doris
While Itoje might be the front-runner right now, Morgan and Doris will certainly be in the captaincy conversation. While their two sides might not have had the Six Nations they’d have hoped for, they more than stepped up to the plate with impressive solo performances.
Both men were almost indispensable for their sides during the Championship and crucially set an example for those around them with their actions on the pitch. They will also both likely start in the Test side too, and their overall leadership skills on top of that make them great contenders.
Outside bets: Jamie George, Dan Sheehan
An interesting call here, given they will be competing for the same spot in the Test side, but Jamie George and Dan Sheehan could very easily be named as skipper this summer. Starting with George, while he might have lost the England captaincy, he is still such an experienced player and would more than fit the role of Lions leader. This Six Nations also proved just how valuable he is at Test level, hitting 100% of his lineout throws throughout the Championship.
Ireland counterpart Sheehan is also a possible option now, considering he gave a proper captain’s knock in his captaincy debut against Wales. Sheehan will also likely start in Farrell’s Test side and, with an eye on the upcoming Ireland rebuild, Farrell could turn to Sheehan as his general in July.
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