Former England and British & Irish Lions centre Jeremy Guscott has supported Alun Wyn Jones and Owen Farrell to lead the team during next year’s tour to South Africa.
Guscott, who has been on three Lions tours including the successful 1997 series against the Springboks, offered his view on who should captain the invitational team when they front the 2019 World Cup winners in 2021.
So far, Maro Itoje has emerged as a clear favourite and Guscott said that while he would prefer to have a forward lead the team, he thinks that the Wales and England captains would be favourites.
‘The first name that comes to mind is Alun Wyn Jones,’ Guscott told the Lions website. ‘He’s captain of Wales, if he’s fit and playing as well as he has done, he would be the favourite of many. Alun Wyn plays well every time he sets foot on a field.
‘Maro Itoje is possible but I’m not sure if he’ll get to captain England, not while Owen Farrell is around, so Farrell might do the Lions as well. He could do it, but I always found it easier to follow a forward, because they are so involved in every facet of the game.
‘At flyhalf you can have some brilliant moments but also some blooper moments, and if you have more bloopers than great, you can be questioned. I’m sure the guys who went on the New Zealand tour will have massive high regard for Owen because of how he played there, so I think he would be accepted completely.
‘Everybody prefers to follow different people for different reasons and I lean towards a forward rather than a flyhalf.
‘I don’t have a massive view on it personally, but I think Alun Wyn and Owen Farrell will be favourites. Alun Wyn, with his experience, would take it in his stride, as would Owen.’
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