Renato’s the best of British Par none
MARO ITOJE has been backed to captain the British and Irish Lions next summer as he is “nailed on” to make the Test team.
The endorsement comes not from a Saracens club-mate, nor even a fellow England star, but from Ireland great Jerry Flannery.
Former hooker Flannery (bottom) knows well the qualities required to captain the Lions in South Africa having spent his career playing alongside
Paul O’Connell – who was skipper the last time the Lions took on the Springboks in 2009.
And in Itoje he sees another quality second row forward with a proven ability to lead by example, who would be a better candidate for the role than Wales’
Alun Wyn Jones (right) or England’s Owen
Farrell (top).
“There is a lot of competition for it,” said Flannery. “The obvious guys are Alun Wyn Jones and Owen Farrell, who are already captaining their countries.
“Your captain has to be someone who is pretty much nailed on.
“And when you go through the options Owen and Alun Wyn are both fantastic players.
“Itoje doesn’t have the same leadership experience as those two but he is nailed on to be in the side – as is James Ryan, who is going to make a significant improvement in the next 12 months. With these guys it is going to come down to form because their leadership qualities are not in question, but if I was to bet I would be betting on Itoje.
“The captaincy does not have to go to a forward but I feel it would be a benefit to the Lions to have someone like Itoje.
“When you are playing against South Africa you know they’re not going to try and play around you – they’re going to try and play through you. It is going to be very confrontational.” Flannery, 41, was selected for the 2009 Lions only for injury to wreck his tour hopes prior to departure.
He hung up his boots three years later and after a work placement at Arsenal as a strength and conditioning coach, he had various roles at Munster.
He is now lineout coach at Harlequins, where he has been impressed by young playmaker Marcus Smith.
“He has got the X-factor and he can produce magic,” said the Munsterman. “The more I work with him, the more I see he is a real student of the game.
“He is very driven, a special talent.
“He is a like a sponge, looking to learn.”
SPEED-MERCHANT Renato Paratore was given an unusual guard of honour after winning the European Tour’s first full event after lockdown at Close House yesterday.
With no crowd, the popular Italian, 23, was applauded by his rival players as he walked through an arch of raised putters after his three-shot victory at the Betfred British Masters event.
“It was really amazing,” said Paratore, a one-man antidote to golf’s epidemic of slow play.
“I didn’t expect that from my friends here on Tour.
“It was a really good sensation. These are the moments you love.
“Today wasn’t easy but I played really well. I’m really, really happy. It was a little bit strange out there but fortunately there was some crowd at the end.”
Paratore supplied his own sound effects with a roar of, “Vamos” – meaning ‘we go’ – after sinking the key 15ft birdie putt at the penultimate hole.
He parred the last for a
69 to claim his second European Tour win, three years after his last one at the Nordea Masters.
Paratore’s blemish-free run in the tournament finally came to an end at the ninth hole with his first bogey and he also dropped a shot at the 11th.
But birdies at the second, seventh and 10th – before the clincher at 17 – gave him the win as he finished
18 under. Tournament host Lee Westwood trailed in last of the players to make the cut after a 79 yesterday and confirmed afterwards he would not be competing in the USPGA Championship in a fortnight – despite the US lifting quarantine restrictions on international competitors.
“I still don’t feel comfortable and I don’t feel like it is right to jump on a plane for 12 hours,” said Westwood.
“I’m still more concerned that America doesn’t take it as seriously as the rest of the world.”