Lead the Lions? I haven’t even heard about Ireland captaincy, says Caelan Doris

Forward is emerging as an outstanding contender to lead touring party in Australia, but humility guards him against declaring interest

Caelan Doris underscored his credentials as a leading contender to be the British and Irish Lions captain for the tour of Australia next year by leading Ireland to a second-Test victory over the Springboks last month. Not that he has thought about it himself.
The 26-year-old replaced Peter O’Mahony as captain for the second Test in South Africa, following defeat in Pretoria. And now Doris appears to be in line to take over the leadership role on a full-time basis with Ireland next season. He was earmarked as a potential captain by Ireland head coach Andy Farrell following the World Cup last year. He then captained Leinster for the first time in January and deputised for O’Mahony as Ireland captain in the Six Nations victory over Italy.
For now, though, Doris is saying the right things. “I haven’t heard anything about it [the Ireland captaincy],” he says. “And Pete has signed for another year and has done an unbelievable job. He was tour captain [in South Africa] and I am sure he will be involved in November as well.”
Doris is equally humble on being linked with the Lions captaincy. “It is just under a year away and there is plenty of rugby to be played between now and then. I am genuinely not thinking that far ahead. Over these next two weeks, before I return to training, there is going to be a lot of goal-setting and most of that will be around my game and how I want to evolve and get better as a player.”
One of those goals, he admits, is to make the Lions squad, with the battle for back-row places likely to be one of the most keenly contested. “There’s a hell of a lot of competition in the back row in the northern hemisphere in general. Even within Ireland, you’ve got so much depth and in Leinster, there is quality in the back row. There are always guys coming from above and below. You need to perform, which is a good thing.”
One player who has caught his eye has been his England counterpart Ben Earl, one of the most improved players under Steve Borthwick over the past year and a potential back-row colleague with the Lions.
“I think he [Earl] has been unbelievable over the past couple of seasons,” Doris says. “I would have played against him at under-18s and possibly under-20s too. I remember his style of play was quite similar back then, sort of trademark carries and footwork and poaching ability. He’s got a very varied game. He’s taken that to another level on the biggest stage. We’ve had some good battles over the years, and hopefully some more to come.
“It is a pretty special thing for the Lions for that reason,” adds Doris, when asked about the possibility of playing with, rather than against, Earl. “And you’ve got such big rivalries through the Six Nations and through all those Test games, and then in such a short period of time, trying to unite and grow bonds off the field and then play together on it…”
Both players have played across the back row but seemed to have settled at No 8. Doris, for one, sees his future there. “I prefer No 8,” he says. “Even when I was playing with six on my back, I was largely playing the No 8 role from line-outs. I think my lack of ability in the line-out makes me more of an eight, which I am quite happy about.”
Caelan Doris is an ambassador for the Ohk Energy group. From Aug 6 to Sep 6, €50 from every Ohk Energy sale of solar PV systems and air-to-water heat pumps will be donated to Childline by ISPCC, to Power a Brighter Future.