British and Irish Lions: Maro Itoje as captain, Henry Pollock as a 'bolter' and Manu Tuilagi as a shock call up?

7 May 2025, 12:53 | Updated: 8 May 2025, 05:59

Who will be named captain of the British and Irish Lions? Could England's one-cap wonderkid Henry Pollock earn a place? And what about a shock call-up for Manu Tuilagi?!

Former England rugby star Will Greenwood, a three-time Lions tourist in 1997, 2001 and 2005 gave his verdict on all of the above and more ahead of the latest Lions squad announcement on Thursday - live on Sky Sports from 2pm.

With concerns over Caelan Doris' fitness, Greenwood said "all roads point to Itoje" to captain the tour of Australia this summer, while he added that "it will be a shock if Pollock doesn't go."

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Twenty-year-old Pollock only made his England debut off the bench in the Six Nations against Wales in March but impressed with two tries and is considered a possible 'bolter' call up.

'It will be a shock if Pollock doesn't go'

"He's the one [Pollock] everyone is talking about at the moment," Greenwood told Sky Sports News. "He got brought into Steve Borthwick's squad for the first time against Wales and scored on his debut.

"We're very unlikely to get an uncapped player but in terms of what we now call a bolter, someone with less than a handful of caps, he fits that bill perfectly.

"He's an exceptional rugby player and with Doris unlikely to go - his injury possibly opening up another back-row spot - it will be a shock if Pollock doesn't go."

Ireland captain Doris suffered a shoulder injury in Leinster's Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Pollock's Northampton Saints at the weekend that looks set to scupper his Lions tour.

"Doris would have been most people's favourite [as captain] due to his relationship with [coach] Andy Farrell," Greenwood said.

"If Doris is out for the whole tour, then Maro will most likely be announced as captain - though we're all excluding Jac Morgan, the Wales captain, who had a brilliant Six Nations and is almost certain to go on the tour.

"There's 10-11 weeks until the first Test, and it's a case of how serious is Doris' operation and how much of a clean out or a reconstruction does he need. If it's only a two- or three-week tidy up - you can have these operations where it's just a bit of cartilage removing - then he might still go with him as captain.

"But I just think there is too much uncertainty and so it would seem like all roads point to Itoje."

'Tuilagi would be a shock but you can understand why'

As for any other potential surprises to be thrown up in Thursday's Lions squad, could 33-year-old Tuilagi be one of them?

Included in the squad for the last Lions tour of Australia back in 2013, the big-bodied back earned the last of his 60 England caps in the 2024 Six Nations before signing for Top 14 side Bayonne.

"I was having a chat with someone over a pint last night and they said 'what about Manu Tuilagi?' It would be a shock but you could understand why.

"He's the fittest he's ever been, playing down at Bayonne and carving it up in the Top 14. He's super fit, super strong and can unlock any defence in the world."

Greenwood added on other possible surprise call-ups: "Perhaps we could see Darcy Graham [included], a diminutive Scottish winger who can fly!

"He might not be on everybody's lips in terms of going on tour but I think he is a fabulous rugby player.

"Might he [Farrell] consider taking George Ford? He has been brilliant for Sale recently and has that rugby league connection [with his dad Mike Ford]. Also, will Jack Willis from Toulouse force his way onto the plane?

"There's all these narratives and sub-plots going on, because there are so many good players in the northern hemisphere - there will be five or six amazing rugby players not named tomorrow. He can't take everyone."

To that point, Greenwood believes fly-half options Marcus Smith, George Ford of England and Ireland's Sam Prendergast could be facing an anxious wait to see if they're included in the squad.

"At fly half in particular, there is an immense amount of competition," Greenwood said. "Five into three doesn't go, but I think the two that definitely go are Finn Russell (Scotland) and Fin Smith (England), and then it's a case of Marcus Smith, Ford and Prendergast having an uncomfortable night's sleep waiting for 2pm tomorrow afternoon."

British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports

Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches to be shown exclusively live.

(c) Sky Sports 2025: British and Irish Lions: Maro Itoje as captain, Henry Pollock as a 'bolter' and Manu Tuilagi as a shock call up?