British and Irish Lions squad LIVE: Owen Farrell misses out and captaincy selection revealed
Maro Itoje has been named captain as Andy Farrell unveiled his squad for the tour of Australia
The British and Irish Lions squad has been named but Owen Farrell has been left out of the group that will travel to Australia, with former England teammate Maro Itoje selected as captain.
Farrell misses out on selection for a fourth tour after being excluded from a 38-player group by Lions head coach Andy Farrell, his father. After a season plagued by injuries, Farrell missed out on inclusion as one of three fly halves, with Scotland’s Finn Russell and fellow Englishmen Fin and Marcus Smith preferred.
Itoje was named captain after an injury to Ireland’s Caelan Doris, while English young gun Henry Pollock is included. The one-cap flanker only made his England debut in March, scoring two tries against Wales in Cardiff, but even at 20 years old he has emerged as a blockbuster talent.
Follow all of the latest as the Lions squad is revealed with our live blog below:
Caelan Doris could miss out after shoulder surgery
There are a number of major injury worries for Andy Farrell, chief among them Caelan Doris - a possible captaincy contender, the Ireland No 8 now looks likely to miss the tour after shoulder surgery. One suspects that Maro Itoje would have been the likely leader anyway, but it is a real shame for Doris, such an excellent player.
Caelan Doris set for operation on shoulder in British and Irish Lions injury scare
Maro Itoje on the Lions, leadership and politics: ‘I’ll return to No 10 one way or another’
Maro Itoje is a fascinating figure, and incredibly engaging company. In October, I sat down with the England lock to talk the Lions, leadership and a possible political future:
Maro Itoje on politics: ‘I’ll return to No 10 one way or another’
Maro Itoje set to be named as British and Irish Lions captain
While most of the players are in the dark over their selection status, the British and Irish Lions captain is now fully aware of his place. Maro Itoje is set to be unveiled as the 2025 skipper after an outstanding Six Nations as leader of England.
British & Irish Lions 2025: Predicting the squad to tour Australia
Picking a Lions squad is a thoroughly unrewarding exercise, the player pool simply too large and selection too small to avoid leaving out a worthy candidate or seven. Still, I’ve had a go at being Andy Farrell and predicting the 38-man squad he may pick...
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