Lions Legend Mcbride Backs Ireland's Doris For Captaincy

Legendary skipper Willie John McBride feels that Caelan Doris is nan champion campaigner to lead nan British and Irish Lions successful Australia this summer.

Head coach Andy Farrell will sanction his skipper and squad successful London connected 8 May up of nan 3 Tests pinch nan Wallabies.

Ireland backmost statement Doris and England 2nd statement Maro Itoje person been touted arsenic imaginable captains for nan tour.

"I can't spell beyond Caelan Doris, I dream he gets it," McBride, who captained nan Lions connected their undefeated circuit of South Africa successful 1974, told BBC Sport NI.

"He evidently has nan honesty and loyalty of nan players astir him.

"He is decisive connected nan field, and I deliberation nan different point is that he keeps a bully rapport pinch referees. That is very important."

McBride, who went connected 5 Lions tours and won a grounds 17 caps successful nan celebrated jersey, said nan captaincy "is ever a talking point".

He added that he was fortunate for nan 1974 'Invincibles' circuit of South Africa that he had "been astir rather a agelong clip and I'd learned a batch of nan things you should and should not do".

Doris first captained Ireland skipper successful nan 2024 Six Nations and officially took nan position for past year's November Tests, but McBride believes nan 27-year-old "has capable experience".

"He's been successful location rather a while now successful nan Irish squad and captained them rather a bit," McBride added.

"He knows each nan in's and out's, nan dos and don'ts. I'm judge Andy Farrell will support him right.

"You don't person to beryllium nan champion subordinate successful nan team. Certainly, erstwhile I was captain, I wasn't nan champion subordinate successful nan team.

"But it's a matter of getting them to activity together and arsenic a team."