With the Six Nations finished, all eyes turn to the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia this Summer. Andy Farrell will lead the side down under, but speculation is beginning to mount regarding who he will select as tour captain. As Ireland head coach, Farrell is very familiar with Ireland's stars and ahead of this year's Six Nations, Ireland captain Caelan Doris looked to be nailed on as captain. A sub-par tournament from an Irish perspective coupled with an excellent few weeks for England has seen a new contender emerge as potential captain of the famous touring side. Maro Itoje rolled back the years this Spring and turned in a series of fantastic performances to remind fans of his quality. While Itoje wasn't seen as captain material pre-tournament - he only received the England captaincy in January of this year - his leadership qualities were on full display throughout the Six Nations. Itoje played some of the best games he has ever played in an England shirt during the Six Nations, and the manner in which he led his team and dealt with referee's has led to many pundits calling for the Saracens star to be installed as skipper. The English media are certainly leading the charge for Itoje, with The Times writer Stephen Jones stating that Itoje is 'far ahead' of other candidates. "In all my ten Lions tours to date, I cannot remember a captaincy contender who stands out as far ahead as Maro Itoje from some other worthy candidates. For rugby’s image as well as for Australia 2025, Itoje is unbeatable." Stuart Barnes echoes the thoughts of Jones and believes Itoje should have been captain for the tour of South Africa in 2021. "Warren Gatland should have made Itoje his captain for the previous Lions tour. Andy Farrell will not make the same mistake. He’s an outstanding Lions veteran of two tours who has been reinvigorated by the England captaincy. The only -contender." Andy Farrell will name his squad and captain on May 8th, so we have another six week's of anticipation before the decision is finally revealed. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.