Steve Borthwick (Image: Getty)
England boss Steve Borthwick tipped Maro Itoje to lead the Lions down under after England’s record-breaking 68-14 win in Cardiff. Borthwick’s side ran in 10 tries as they blew away the Welsh and finished their Six Nations in style in front of Lions boss Andy Farrell who was in the Cardiff stands.
The hammering was a record win in Cardiff for Borthwick’s men as they finally showed a clinical edge worthy of the World Cup winning side of 2003. And Itoje led from the front in front of Farrell and Borthwick, an assistant coach with Farrell for the Lions in 2017, reckons the lock is the man for the job against the Aussies.
Borthwick said: “Maro has been outstanding, he leads by example and he has stepped up his game. He is an experienced player at Test and Lions level and I would have full confidence in Maro’s ability to lead the Lions should Andy ask him.
“Hopefully lot of the players will get picked for the Lions. Part of the role of the coaching staff, proposed it, was to get as many players in the Lions as possible. Hopefully loads of them will be going on the plane down under. It will be brilliant for them and a phenomenal experience.”
Borthwick’s side suffered a streak of near-misses last year but the boss insisted this display has been coming – and it was worth the wait.
He added: “We spoke about this being a special place to play and how we wanted to approach the game. I wanted them to play fast, play big and that is exactly what they did.
Wales stand-in coach Matt Sherratt, who replaced Warren Gatland after two rounds of the tournament, will be back in his Cardiff job on Monday.
He had put smiles on Welsh faces with improved displays against Ireland and Scotland but his side were beaten comprehensively in all facets of the game.
Sherratt said: “Today is devastating for the players. It looked a game too far. They are a good group of lads. My job was to come in and get a win and I am gutted I could not get them one.”