With the British and Irish Lions about to travel to Australia many rugby union fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the touring party. The tour will provide a great opportunity to raise the profile of rugby union in Australia ahead of the 2027 World Cup. It will also give a chance for many Australian players to impress against many of the best players from the northern hemisphere. But, many fans will be a little unfamiliar with the British and Irish Lions team, so to learn a bit more let’s investigate a bit more about their newly appointed captain Maro Itoje.

Maro Itoje has had quite an immense career having broken through into first grade with the Saracens in 2013. Now, at 30 years old he has been given he distinct honour of leading the British and Irish Lions on tour. He is the first Englishman to captain the side since Martin Johnson in 2001. He also captains the Saracens, the only club he has ever played for and of course he captains the England international team. For the Saracens, he has won five Premierships and three European Championships with the powerhouse team.

As a player, Itoje is known for his physicality and defensive attributes. He is capable of player in the back row, but has spent most of his career at lock. Itoje has been identified as an elite talent as he came through the youth pathways, representing England U18s and captaining the U20s side. During his distinguished career he has been nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year on three seperate occasions in 2016, 2017 and 2021.

Maro Itoje has plenty of experience with the British and Irish Lions having been on tour twice before. In 2017 he was the youngest member of the squad and played an integral role for the team on tour in New Zealand. He played against the All Blacks in all three tests, which was drawn at the end of the series. For the tour of South Africa in 2021 he was voted the player of the series by his Lions teammates.

The upcoming British and Irish Lions tour will be one of Maro Itoje’s greatest personal achievements. He is thoroughly deserving of captaining the Lions team on tour and will be optimistic about his team’s chances of success. With Australian rugby trying to rebuild ahead of hosting the World Cup, the Lions tour is the best possible way for both fans and players to prepare in anticipation of 2027.