British & Irish Lions Captaincy Candidates

Caelan Doris

Irish No. 8 Doris was the frontrunner to earn the captaincy, given his rich vein of form and close ties with head coach Andy Farrell.

However, news broke on Monday that he’ll have to undergo shoulder surgery following the injury he sustained in Leinster’s shock 37-34 loss to the Northampton Saints in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final in Dublin last Saturday. 

The full extent of his injury and recovery time are not yet known, but Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber, for one, is fearing the worst. Doris is a dynamic force in the back row and would be a massive loss for the Lions should he be ruled out of the tour.  

Maro Itoje

Itoje has grown into the England captaincy role with aplomb and had a sensational Six Nations.

The experienced and highly respected second-rower spearheaded England’s resurgence and played every minute of the Red Rose’s campaign.

His commanding presence, durability, athleticism, intelligence and added pilfering prowess make him one of the leading locks in the world and a perfect candidate to skipper the Northern Hemisphere all stars.

If the 30-year-old is awarded the captaincy, he would become the first Englishman since Martin Johnson in 2001, when they also toured Down Under, to lead a Lions party.

Jac Morgan

A one-man army, all-action flanker Morgan is the shining light in an embattled Welsh team enduring the worst period in their rugby history.

Captain Morgan led by example during the Dragons’ doomed Six Nations campaign, displaying the speed of a jack rabbit and the guts of a honey badger, and finished the Championship as the top tackler with 88 hits.

Young and hungry, the 25-year-old could power the Pride’s passion with his exuberance, abrasiveness and seemingly endless gas tank.

Finn Russell

A point of difference for any team he plays for, Russell is a mercurial playmaker with match-winning qualities.

He was elevated to co-captain of Scotland along with Rory Darge following Sione Tuipulotu’s Six Nations-ending injury and showcased welcome maturity in the role.

At 32, he’s not as erratic as he was in his younger years and has been working at his goal-kicking at Bath after firing at just a 38% clip in the Six Nations.

Dan Sheehan

One of the top two hookers in the game today along with Springbok brute Malcolm Marx, Sheehan is as complete a player as they come.

The 26-year-old, who has the potential to go down as one of Ireland’s all-time greats, took the next step in his career when he captained his country for the first time against Wales in the Six Nations and looked comfortable in the role.

With the cyborg-like consistency with which he executes the fundamentals, uncanny ability to score tries (he finished as the joint-second leading try-scorer in the Six Nations with Tommy Freeman) and pre-existing relationship with Farrell, Sheehan is an outside pick to lead the men in red.