Recent Lions history has proved that the captain must talk the talk as well as walk the walk – and Maro Itoje has been backed to be ‘the calm voice amongst the carnage’.
Eight years ago, the enthralling series between the British and Irish tourists and the All Blacks finished on a knife-edge, as the hosts were awarded a last-minute penalty in Auckland, only for the decision to be dramatically over-turned.
French referee Romain Poite’s momentous U-turn – which led to a draw and 1-1 series stalemate – was attributed in large part to the diplomacy skills of the statesmanlike Lions captain in 2017, Sam Warburton.
It is a major part of the leadership role; that ability to communicate effectively with the officials and establish a productive rapport, which may just come in handy in the event of 50-50 calls.
Even when overwhelmed by fatigue, the skipper’s task is to successfully engage in amateur psychology, in order to strike the right tone and press the right buttons.
Referees all have their own manner and their own individual approach to enforcing rugby’s complex laws. In the series against Australia, the whistle will be wielded by men from three different countries, on either side of the equator.
British & Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje has been backed to be a ‘calm voice amongst carnage’
Itoje honed his leadership craft as captain of Saracens and with England at the Six Nations
The British & Irish Lions beat an Australian and New Zealand invitational team 48-0 last match
At Suncorp Stadium, in the first Test, New Zealander Ben O’Keeffe will be in charge. A week later in Melbourne, the job will be taken on by Georgia’s Nika Amashukeli, followed by Andrea Piardi of Italy in Sydney.
Itoje is an intelligent man and a keen observer of human nature. He knows that he will have to adapt his approach in each match. ‘It’s slightly different, depending on the refs,’ he said. ‘You have to make an assessment. Some refs are more amenable to communication than others and you have to take a read. You have to choose your moments. I have some principles that I like to be consistent with, but you also have to adapt it a little bit depending on the refs.
‘Referees, like players, are all a little bit different – they all have different cues and things that they like, in terms of their personality. Some refs are more orientated towards set piece. Some refs are more orientated towards breakdown. Some are a bit more (focused) on the defensive line, offside and that kind of stuff.
‘It’s just about assessing the referee, but also trying to build a rapport and relationship. Fortunately, I’ve played quite a few games of rugby now, so most of the referees have refereed me before and I’ve either been a senior player or a captain with most of the referees at this point, so there’s a decent relationship built with most of them.’
There is a possibility that this level of familiarity may give the Lions a faint edge, given the doubt about the identity of the Wallabies captain on the eve of their team announcement. Itoje honed his leadership craft as captain of Saracens last season – and he was promoted to the job with England before the Six Nations; handling the duties with aplomb. He is a polite and articulate man, who adopts respectful, deferential body language, to negate the fact that he towers over officials.
Ben Earl, a team-mate with club and country, was asked whether the lock is good with referees and joked: ‘Well, let’s hope so!’ On a more serious note, he added: ‘Maro’s been brilliant at that for as long as he’s been a captain. He’s always been the calm voice amongst the carnage, he’s always been the one that brings calmness to the chaos, even in his voice.
‘Then his actions as well – even though he’s playing right on the edge, it always seems like it’s well in his control. Everything he’s doing is in his control.’
The Lions play their first test at the Suncorp Stadium and Ben O’Keeffe will be the referee
Tadhg Beirne – who has captained the Lions twice on this trip, was full of praise for Maro Itoje
He’s been brilliant. He speaks very well, particularly in the changing-room, Tadhg Beirne said
Itoje has proved his ability to talk the talk within the Lions squad too. He has made a positive impression on the non-England players who have not experienced his leadership before. Tadhg Beirne – who has captained the Lions twice on this trip – said: ‘He’s been brilliant. He speaks very well, particularly in the changing-room and in the huddles. He’s very well-spoken and leads by example on the field as well, so there’s not much more you can ask from your captain.’
For someone with such a colossal reputation as a world-class figure and rugby icon, Itoje retains an air of humility, which endears him to the men around him. There is supreme self-assurance but no obvious streak of arrogance. When asked how he has tried to put his stamp on the squad and on this tour, the skipper’s response was illuminating.
‘My style of doing things is not necessarily being front and centre of everything,’ he said. ‘I don’t necessarily want to be the one who talks all the time or the one who’s being in front of this and that and trying to stick my chest out and be like, “I’m the captain, do what I say”.
‘I think my leadership style is to lead through my actions and by setting a good example to the team in terms of how to behave. I’ve helped put together committees and social things by delegating to those people who I’ve asked to lead in those areas and I check in every now and again to see if everything is going according to plan and if they need anything.’
Assessing the impact Itoje has made, as the Lions prepare for the business end of this gruelling tour, Earl once again provided fascinating insight about a man he knows so well. ‘It’s been as seamless for him as any role that he gets,’ he said. ‘I’m not surprised anymore when he takes these roles and it just fits perfectly. I think he’s played tremendously.
‘The thing with Maro is his playing has always been the first thing, the most important thing and what he’s led by the most. Everything that comes after that is almost an added bonus; because he’s already done half the leadership stuff by just playing how he does.
‘Maro made a very good point when we first met up. He said we’ve probably got 38 guys who are very much used to being “the man” in almost every team they play. Throw them all together and people are going to have to make some adjustments. Everyone, to a man, has been brilliant with that and Maro has just led the way on how that looks.
‘Before the Western Force game, when he wasn’t playing, Maro was scouring tape of their lineouts so that he could prepare the boys as well as he could. That is massively impressive. He’s a standard-bearer in terms of what a good team-mate looks like.’
Andy Farrell chose to appoint Itoje as captain – a formality after Caelan Doris was ruled out
Wallabies lock Will Skelton enjoyed a successful stint at Saracens and knows all about Itoje
Ben Earl said that Lions team-mate Itoje has ‘always been the calm voice amongst the carnage’
Another of the England contingent in the Lions squad who knows Itoje well is Marcus Smith. The playmaker spoke about how the captain has ‘commanded authority at the right times’ and noted his willingness to delegate. But the other point that Smith made was how his supportive nature has really come to the fore.
‘The thing with Maro is that he deeply cares about the person, about the individual,’ he said. ‘He has good emotional intelligence around what makes someone tick, whether you give someone a kick up the backside if they need it or he puts his arm around you. He has that balance which I think is important in the topsy-turvy nature of rugby.’
Andy Farrell chose to appoint Itoje as captain – a logical decision which was rendered a formality once the other prime contender, Ireland’s Caelan Doris, was ruled out of the tour due to injury. Asked to assess how the Lion King has fared, the head coach said: ‘Great, as you could imagine. He’s thinking differently to other people with regards to what’s going on with the group and what the group need. He doesn’t need to be told to be himself and calls his own meetings.
‘He has a feel of where we’re at and where we’re going, and he’s also found the lads that he knows are going to help him with those types of situations. I think the performance that he gave against the Reds settled him in even more.’
That tour game in Brisbane on July 2 was when Itoje really asserted his authority on the field and proved beyond any doubt that he wouldn’t be a tour captain fearing for his place in the Test side. He was massively influential and imperious, as he has been so often for England and for Saracens.
Wallabies lock Will Skelton enjoyed a successful stint at the club and he knows all about the threat posed by the Lions captain, saying: ‘He’s a guy you love to have in your team. He’s a great leader, player and person. Playing against him, he’s extremely energetic. He’s always live, he’s a nuisance around the rucks and has a great rugby IQ.’
Itoje will need that IQ, to help him build bonds with the officials and keep – calmly – talking the talk.