Sir Ian McGeechan has chosen the man he believes should lead the British & Irish Lions in South Africa in 2021.
The 73-year-old opted for England lock Maro Itoje as his tour captain, ahead of England skipper Owen Farrell and Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones.
Describing Itoje as a player he "would love to have coached", McGeechan feels that the competition in the second-row could count against Jones' captaincy bid.
"To be honest I think there are probably only three genuine contenders as it stands: Owen Farrell, Alun Wyn Jones and Maro Itoje," wrote the legend in his column for the Telegraph.
"Of that trio - and again with the proviso that form and fitness will count for a lot - I would go with Itoje,
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"Jones is not certain of his starting spot,
"He will be 35 by next summer and the competition at lock is ferocious,
"James Ryan has really pushed on and I would start with him and Itoje together at lock if the first test was tomorrow."
LIST | Sir Ian McGeechan’s 10 best young players in the world
Former British and Irish Lions had coach and Telegraph Sport columnist Sir Ian McGeechan selects the 10 young players set to take the world by storm.
1. Marcus Smith, 21, England
"I have watched a lot of him. He never looks flustered on the ball, which is the hallmark of a great player and he has been in and around the England squad without yet being capped."
2. Jordan Joseph, 19, France
"A powerful runner with good hands and a skilful offload game."
3. Caelan Doris, 22, Ireland
"Another one off the Leinster independent schools production line (Blackrock College) and one of the standout No 8s in this season's Champions Cup."
4. Joe Simmonds, 23, England
"His kicking is incredibly accurate – there was a stage before Christmas when he was 26/26 in all competitions."
5. Louis Rees-Zammit, 19, Wales
"You cannot put a price on outright pace. Rees-Zammit has it in abundance, and, combined with his finishing ability, you begin to understand why the hype surrounding him has been so intense."
6. Cameron Redpath, 20, England/Scotland
"I know his father well, so I have followed Cameron's career fairly closely. I like what I see. Tall, rangy, more of a centre than a 10."
7. Jamie Dobie, 18, Scotland
"I have not seen a huge amount of Dobie, but I hear good things. He went straight from school into a full-time contract, which is quite rare."
8. James Grayson, 21, England
"Another chip off the old block. Paul Grayson, his father, was one of my favourite players to coach – just a very clever, tactical player."
9. Luke Jacobson, 23, New Zealand
"Jacobson is an all-rounder who captained the Junior All Blacks to victory at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in 2017 - a powerful ball-carrier and support player with a real presence on the field."
10. Jordan Petaia, 20, Australia
"He is very highly rated in Australia, but injury is slowing his match progress at present."
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