Steve Borthwick gives forthright view on Maro Itoje’s British & Irish Lions captaincy chances
England skipper Maro Itoje and head coach Steve Borthwick.
England head coach Steve Borthwick believes Maro Itoje is an outstanding candidate to captain the British & Irish Lions on their highly anticipated tour to Australia later this year.
Ahead of England’s 2025 Six Nations campaign, Borthwick made the bold decision to appoint Itoje as the Red Rose’s captain, taking over from Jamie George in the process with the hooker named as vice-captain.
England finished in second position in the 2025 Six Nations standings – just one point adrift of the champions, France – after cruising to an emphatic 68-14 triumph over Wales in their final match of the Championship in Cardiff on Saturday.
Itoje shines as England captain
And Borthwick‘s decision to hand the captaincy to Itoje appears to be a masterstroke as he shone in the leadership role as England won four out of five matches with the only blip being a 27-22 defeat to Ireland in their Six Nations opener against Ireland.
Lions head coach Andy Farrell is set to name his squad in early May and Borthwick is confident Itoje would be the perfect choice to lead the famous touring team, who are set to face the Wallabies in a three-Test series.
“I think Maro’s been absolutely outstanding. He leads by example and he’s stepped up his game,” he said after England’s win over Wales on Saturday. “He’s improved in many areas in this campaign.
“I’d be fully confident in Maro to lead the Lions should Andy ask him.”
The England coach also feels several of his players enhanced their chances of being selected for the Lions squad after their record victory over Wales.
‘They’re seeing the fruits of their labours’
“The team has stuck with the process and I’m really pleased for the players and supporters that they’re seeing the fruits of their labours on the pitch,” said Borthwick.
“The next thing for these players is that hopefully lots of them will get picked for the Lions.
“I think the players have probably created some good headaches for Andy. They’re the kind of headaches you want to have as a coach. Lots of players putting their hands up and showing they should be on that plane with the Lions.
“A lot of our role is to get as many of these players on that plane as possible. Hopefully there will be a lot of England players heading down under in a few months’ time.”
One of England’s star performers during the Six Nations was back-row Ben Curry, who walked off with the official player-of-the-match award after the victory over Wales.
“This is what you dream of,” said Curry. “I have not had too many opportunities over the last couple of years and I love being a part of this team.”
