by Dylan James
“NAVIDI. Tipuric. Faletau. Done!” former Wales captain Michael Owen is confident there will be an all-Welsh back-row, and suggests that Maro Itoje could secure Lions captaincy.
The Lions tour of 2021 is fast approaching, there has been much debate over whether the tournament will even take place in South Africa, or more to the point, whether the tour will go ahead at all.
However, now we know that the British and Irish Lions will definitely tour South Africa in the coming months, much discussion has taken place on selection, and who in particular Warren Gatland should pick.
🔓The Telegraph is free to read until 8am on Wednesday …
Confirmed: British and Irish Lions’s tour of South Africa to go ahead as planned. @GavinMairs reports — https://t.co/urtXaUOdtt
— Telegraph Rugby (@TelegraphRugby) March 23, 2021
There is no bias here at all. Just a former captain of Wales choosing an all Welsh back-row for the upcoming Lions tour of South Africa this summer! Michael Owen, who captained the Lions against Argentina in 2005, has opted for an all-Welsh back row for the tournament.
Owen wants to see Navidi, Tipuric and Faletau starting at six, seven and eight come July, but admits there is a flurry of talent to choose from, and the decision won’t be easy for Gatland.
“The players they (Scotland) have got as well, Hamish Watson and Jamie Ritchie in particular are pretty amazing players.”
“You’ve got Alfie Barbeary at Wasps who has played some tremendous rugby.”
Barbeary is just 20 years-old and can operate at both hooker and back-row. Having made his break last year, Barbeary has played the majority of his games at number eight, and his minimal involvement with England has raised eyebrows, but there is no doubting his talent.
Eddie Jones at Wasps-Sale on Saturday. Alfie Barbeary starting at 8 for Wasps: https://t.co/pNUyFcWIAj Raffi Quirke starting at 9 for Sale: https://t.co/bpz4GjFDVp
— Charlie Morgan (@CharlieFelix) March 26, 2021
“Then you have the English back-row. You have players outside of that English back-row, there is some tremendous depth.”
As Owen highlighted, England also boast an incredible back-row trio. Tom Curry, Billy Vunipola and Sam Underhill will be chomping at the bit to get in the squad, but fierce competition will only push the players to perform better.
Owen thinks it is great to possess such depth and quality across the British Isles, but believes that the Welsh back-row have been “top-drawer”, thus deserving to start together for the Lions tour.
Despite retiring at the tender age of 29, Owen had the pleasure of captaining both Wales and the Lions during his career, so he has a great understanding of what it takes to cut it as a captain, never mind what team you’re representing.
Itoje. Jones. Hogg. Farrell.
These are the names that are being shortlisted as potential Lions captains this summer, but the name that sticks out more than the rest is that of Maro Itoje. The Saracens lock has never captained his national team, but there is a school of thought which believes that he possesses the divine quality to lead the British and Irish Lions out against the Springboks.
Maro Itoje on the potential of being the first black captain of the Lions team for the tour of South Africa 🇿🇦
Watch and read Itoje’s full exclusive interview on Monday on Sky Sports.
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 13, 2021
Michael Owen suspects that Itoje will be a big contender for the captaincy come July, and also suggested that he will be a “nailed on test starter” and would like to see him in the second row, as opposed to the back-row, where he has featured before. Itoje slotted in at blindside during England’s Six Nations title defence in 2017, making a huge impact.
The tour is scheduled to kick off against DHL Stormers in Cape Town on July 3rd, and concluding with the third and final test match against the Springboks on August 7th in Johannesburg. Lions head coach Warren Gatland will announce his 36-man squad on May 6th, as we all eagerly wait to see who has made the final cut.
