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British & Irish Lions squad announcement LIVE updates

During a live event at the O2 in London on Thursday, head coach Andy Farrell revealed that Maro Itoje will lead the British & Irish Lions as captain for their 2025 tour of Australia.
Itoje became the frontrunner for captaincy after Leinster's Caelan Doris suffered a season-ending shoulder injury requiring surgery and months of recovery.
At 30 years old, Itoje will serve as the British and Irish Lions' captain for the first time since an English player last held the role in 2001, while also becoming the squad's first black male captain. The team features 39 players, with notable omissions including Owen Farrell and Courtney Lawes.
Itoje described the captaincy as "an amazing honour" and said he would "do my best to do the role justice," while Farrell called the captain "the beacon" and "the person everybody looks up to."
The squad announcement signals preparations for a demanding tour featuring nine matches including three Test games against the Wallabies, with all games broadcast live and up to 2,000 fans attending the unveiling.

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British & Irish Lions: ESPN's Tom Hamilton's deep dive into Andy Farrell's squad

ESPN rugby writer Tom Hamilton analyses Andy Farrell's British & Irish Lions squad.

2 days ago·United States

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British and Irish Lions squad 2025 in full as Maro Itoje named captain

Maro Itoje will captain the British & Irish Lions for this summer’s tour of Australia.Head coach Andy Farrell confirmed his decision during the official squad unveiling at the O2 in London on Thursday.Itoje, who captained England to a second-place finish in this year’s Six Nations, emerged as the front-runner after Irish rival Caelan Doris suffered a shoulder injury. The 30-year-old becomes the first Englishman to wear the armband since Martin J…

2 days ago·London, United Kingdom

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