Maro Itoje Joins Legendary Lions Captains with Historic Series Win

Warrior Itoje adds his name to the pantheon of British & Irish Lions captains

In the sun-drenched city of Sydney and the quiet corners of Ballyclare, two very different voices spoke of a shared experience—one fresh, one a half-century old, but united by a singular honour: captaining the British & Irish Lions to a Test series win.

Maro Itoje, the cerebral lock from Saracens, now finds his name etched alongside one of rugby’s most iconic figures, Willie John McBride. McBride, now 85, is the living embodiment of what it means to be a Lion—a warrior-poet of the game who led the legendary “Invincibles” of 1974 to an unbeaten tour in South Africa.

As of last weekend, the club of victorious Lions captains remains as exclusive as ever. Once comprised only of Finlay Calder (1989, Australia), Martin Johnson (1997, South Africa), Sam Warburton (2013, Australia), and McBride himself—it now has a fifth member: Maro Itoje.

“Well done, son”: McBride’s nod to the new guard

Maro Itoje stands up to Australia’s Will Skelton

“What message would I send to Maro?” McBride mused from his home in Northern Ireland. “I’d say well done, son. Well done. It’s never easy to win a series in the southern hemisphere—and they’ve achieved it.”

The legendary Irish lock watched the decisive second Test from the comfort of home, opting to avoid the chatter of self-proclaimed experts at his local club. “The game was tremendous,” he said with a smile. “The best I’ve seen in a very long time.”

True to his old-school roots, McBride doesn’t quite recognise some of the modern game’s intricacies. “I don’t understand line-outs anymore. And I haven’t a clue why they bother with scrums—nobody knows what’s going on in there.” Still, he recognises what hasn’t changed: the pride and emotion of winning in red.

“It’s the biggest honour you can have in rugby—winning a series with the Lions.”

Itoje: A modern warrior with old-school values

Willie John McBride leads the Lions out for a match in 1974

While McBride’s Lions were bruising, grizzled and battle-hardened, Itoje’s class of 2025 brings a different energy to the field. But make no mistake—beneath the power and polish, Itoje embodies many of the same principles: honour, unity, and purpose.

“I’m very grateful,” Itoje said when asked about joining the elite group of Lions captains. “It’s obviously a tremendous honour to be in such esteemed company.”

Itoje spoke with the calm humility of a man who understands what the shirt means. “When I’m old and grey, these occasions and these tours are going to be the experiences I look back on with extreme fondness.”

And it’s not just about rugby for Itoje. His work through The Pearl Fund, which supports underprivileged children in Nigeria, has earned him admiration beyond the sport. He’s using his platform for change, just as McBride used rugby to bridge religious and political divides during The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The Lions brotherhood: a rare and sacred bond

“There’s a rarity to it,” Itoje said, reflecting on the nature of Lions tours. “You don’t have many shots at it. If you miss one, you may never have another opportunity.”

Indeed, the Lions are a paradox—a team made up of fierce rivals from four nations, all expected to click in a matter of weeks and perform under the harshest spotlight. “It’s not a homogenous group at all,” Itoje admitted, “but people buy in, and you forge great relationships. That’s what makes it special.”

McBride echoed the sentiment. “We had 32 players, a coach and a manager when I was captain. They’ve got more than 32 people in the backroom staff now!” he chuckled. “Everything’s different—but the feeling of having won? That’s the same.”

Can the class of 2025 match the ’74 Invincibles?

One task remains: to finish the job. If the Lions can win the third Test, it will be the first time since 1974 that they’ve completed a 3-0 sweep on tour—a perfect series that would cement this side’s place in history.

“We want to be part of something very special,” Itoje said. “Winning a Lions Test series is already incredible, but the dream would be to go out there and deliver the performance we know we’re capable of.”

While many would be content with back-to-back wins, Itoje isn’t satisfied. “There’s still a feeling that we haven’t put it all together yet. That’s the exciting part—we want to chase down the performance we’ve been searching for.”

Not everyone is ready to rewrite history, though. When asked if this side could match the ’74 tour, McBride was quick to pull rank. “Unbeaten? They were beaten in Dublin [against the Pumas], weren’t they? That was part of the tour, wasn’t it?” he quipped, ever-protective of his legendary side’s record.

“We owe it to ourselves”

For Itoje, finishing with a clean sweep isn’t about chasing records. It’s about fulfilling the promise this group made to one another when they first assembled.

“We owe it to ourselves,” he said with conviction. “We’ve worked incredibly hard for the last two months. We owe it to each other to give the best account of ourselves. This tour is already memorable—but we want it to live really long in the memory.”

It’s a message that echoes across generations—from Ballyclare to Sydney, from 1974 to 2025.

Once a warrior, always a warrior. And now, Maro Itoje joins that hallowed club—not just as a Lions captain, but as one of the few to lead them to glory on foreign soil.