Maro Itoje is set to be named as the British & Irish Lions captain on Thursday ahead of their tour of Australia, sources say.
Itoje, 30, will become the second Englishman to captain the tourists in the professional era.
The England captain emerged as the front-runner for the honor after Caelan Doris suffered a shoulder injury in Leinster’s defeat to Northampton on Saturday.
The official announcement will be made on Thursday, when Lions coach Andy Farrell names his squad for the tour. Farrell is expected to name a group of 40 players, with 22 forwards and 18 backs.
The captaincy was long considered a two-horse race between Doris and Itoje.
Farrell chose Doris as his Ireland captain ahead of last year’s November internationals, an honor he retained throughout the Six Nations.
Itoje is one of the few guaranteed starters in a Lions XV, having captained both Saracens and England this season.
Itoje’s reputation as a potential Lions captain grew during the Six Nations, as he captained England with apparent ease, maintaining a brilliant level of form.
Doris led Ireland during the championship and it was expected to be a close call between the two until Doris suffered that injury on Saturday.
The length of time Doris will be out has not yet been announced, as he will undergo shoulder surgery, but the decision to choose Itoje suggests that there is enough concern about the severity of Doris’s injury to choose Itoje, who is in form.
Itoje follows in the footsteps of his English compatriot Martin Johnson in captaining the Lions, after Johnson earned the honor on the 1997 and 2001 tours.
- British & Irish Lions squad announcement: time, how to watch
- British & Irish Lions: Australia tour matches
- NEWS: Ireland captain Caelan Doris to undergo surgery
