Maro Itoje makes 24-year history but Andy Farrell leaves son, Owen, out of British and Irish Lions squad

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Maro Itoje has been named the first English captain of the British & Irish Lions for 24 years.

But there might be a frosty atmosphere in the Farrell household after head coach Andy left out his son, Owen, out of the touring squad.

Andy Farrell confirmed his decision as he announced his squad for the tour of Australia at The O2 in London – with 2,000 paid supporters in attendance.

The Lions head Down Under this summer for nine matches, culminating with a three-match Test series against the Wallabies.

talkSPORT will have exclusive live coverage of the entire tour, with Eddie Jones part of the broadcast team.

Itoje emerged as the leading candidate for the captaincy after Ireland skipper Caelan Doris’ injury setback.

The Leinster number eight has undergone shoulder surgery this week.

Meanwhile, Itoje becomes the first Englishman to captain the Lions since Martin Johnson in Australia in 2001.

The Saracens man, who will be appearing on his third Lions tour, took over as England captain ahead of this year’s Six Nations.

Although Itoje’s captaincy provides a boost for England, Wales’ woes continue with just two players named in the squad.

Jac Morgan and Tomos Williams are the only two Welshman heading to Australia.

It follows a record-breaking 17-match losing streak which has seen them finish bottom of the last two Six Nations campaigns.

Wales are on the longest winless run for a tier-one nation in the professional era.

Prior to this year’s tour, they had seen 15 players included in 2013, 12 in 2017 and 10 on the last tour four years ago.

Elsewhere, Farrell has not included his son Owen as an option at fly-half.

The former England captain is currently ineligible for selection by his country after joining Racing 92 last year.

Fly-half has been an area of much debate in the build-up to the tour after Johnny Sexton was named as an assistant coach.

Sexton has been vocal in his criticism of Scotland’s Finn Russell since missing out on a place on the 2021 tour to the Bath ace.

The ex-Ireland captain called Russell ‘flashy’ in an interview back in October and said he would take Farrell in his place.

Meanwhile, Fin Smith has ousted Sam Prendergast after outshining the Irishman in Northampton’s win over Leinster last weekend.

Smith’s Northampton teammate Tommy Freeman has also forced his way onto the plane alongside James Lowe and Duhan van der Merwe.

The Irish and Scottish wings had been nailed on for a place in Farrell’s squad in the build-up to the tour.

However, Freeman threw his name into the mix earlier this year with a stellar Six Nations campaign.

The 24-year-old scored a try in each of England’s Six Nations matches and has starred in Northampton’s run to the Champions Cup final.

His performances in the tournament were capped with a hat-trick in their semi-final triumph over Leinster.

England’s breakout star Henry Pollock will also be on the plane, another member of the Saints’ exciting young side.

Pollock, who is only 20, scored two tries of the bench against Wales back in March.

The youngster has been hailed as one of the brightest talents in rugby after bursting onto the scene this year.

The Lions face Argentina in Dublin on June 20 before flying to Australia for nine matches.

Farrell’s side will face the Wallabies on July 19, July 26 and August 2 after a series of matches against Super Rugby franchises and invitational teams.

He will be hoping to replicate the previous tour of Australia, which saw the Lions win the series 2-1 in 2013 with Wales’ Sam Warburton as captain.