Former Saracens boss Brendan Venter disagrees with many pundits who believe Maro Itoje should lead the Lions, although he believes the lock will still be an important player for the tourists.
“For me, it’s totally irrelevant whether you’re a lock or not,” he said in an exclusive interview with Planet Rugby.
“Personally, I don’t think Maro is ready to be that leader yet. I think he has immense potential, he’s a good man.
#Rugby Brendan Venter, ex entrenador de #Saracens: “Maro Itoje no está listo para ser el capitán de los #Lions” 💥 👊 pic.twitter.com/Z86VTmTOYg
— A Pleno Rugby (@aplenorugby) July 27, 2020
“He has good values but I think it will be difficult for him, and Maro’s way is contributing to a team in so many other ways. If you take a young man and expect him to be a leader of the British and Irish Lions, I’m not sure if that makes sense.
“But, you never know. He has another year to develop and you never know what will happen during that period.”
JOIN THE RUCK:
British & Irish Lions predicted 2021 starting XV, according to the bookies
Fullback: LIAM WILLIAMS (Wales 4/7)
Other contenders: Stuart Hogg (Scotland 4/6), Jordan Larmour (Ireland EVS), Leigh Halfpenny (Wales 5/1), George Furbank (England 7/2)
Left wing: JONNY MAY (England 1/25)
Other contenders: Jacob Stockdale (Ireland 1/3), Adam Radwan (England 40/1), Jack Nowell (England 11/4), Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales 13/8)
Outside-centre: JONATHAN DAVIES (Wales 1/3)
Other contenders: Henry Slade (England 5/6), Garry Ringshow (Ireland 4/6), Jonathan Joseph (England 13/8), Chris Harris (Scotland 20/1), Huw Jones (Scotland 6/1)
Inside-centre: MANU TUILAGI (England 1/3)
Other contenders: Robbie Henshaw (Ireland 5/6), Hadleigh Parkes (Wales 5/4), Sam Johnson (Scotland 9/2)
Right wing: JOSH ADAMS (Wales 1/18)
Other contenders: Anthony Watson (England 4/6), George North (Wales 2/1), Elliot Daly (England 10/11), Joe Cokanasiga (England 3/1), Keith Earls (Ireland 9/2)
