SECOND-ROW:
4. Alun Wyn Jones (Wales) & 5. Maro Itoje (England)
JOHNSON SAID: “Itoje got it all as a player. I could see from watching him at club level early in career that he was a fine athlete at a level which we might not have seen in the second row before, but he’s taken that on to the next level since. He never lets his intensity drop, making big hit after big hit and leading by example.
“You are only looking at playing four or five games on the tour so if Jones has got the form, his age isn’t an issue, and he’s certainly got the experience. Willie John (McBride) was what – 33, 34 when he led the Lions?. ”