British and Irish Lions: Captain Maro Itoje demands whitewash over Australia after Henry Pollock comments | Rugby Union News

British and Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje hopes Australia want to whitewash his side after Henry Pollock revealed the team are looking to win the series 3-0.

After six warm-up matches, The Lions play their first Test against Australia this Saturday at 11am (build-up from 10am), live on Sky Sports, in Brisbane as they look for their first series win since 2013, which also came against the Wallabies.

Their last 3-0 series victory in Australia was in 1904, while the 1974 team, which is regarded as the greatest ever, won three Tests and drew one in South Africa.

“I think that’s definitely the ambition. It goes without saying, no one wants to lose a game,” said Itoje of Pollock’s comments.

“It would be a bit weird if one of my team-mates said ‘we want to win two and lose one’, that would be a bit odd.

“I hope it’s Australia’s ambition too, to win all the games. We want to win every game we play. But all our focus is this Saturday, the other two games will look after themselves.”

On Monday, the Lions announced Scotland trio Rory Sutherland, Ewan Ashman and Darcy Graham will join the squad to help provide cover after the first Test.

Head coach Andy Farrell named a 38-player squad in May but since arriving in Australia, full-back Jamie Osborne, hooker Jamie George and prop Tom Clarkson have also been added.

“Andy has called them in because he believes it will help us achieve our goal of winning a Test series,” said Itoje.

“All of the players that have been called in are quality players. They have a high level of experience and achieved things in their career. We are all in this together.

“It doesn’t matter if there’s a late call up. We have seen late call ups in the past have had huge impacts on the tour in positive ways. I have no doubt everyone who’s called up will play a part in the team achieving their goal.”

Itoje, who is the first black captain of the Lions, has increasingly starred in the warm-up matches leading to the first Test.

The 30-year-old says “it is an amazing honour” to be part of a third Lions tour and thinks it’s “different” to any other match including the Six Nations or Rugby World Cup.

“Naturally in Test week there’s a sharpening of the mind. There’s probably a higher level of focus,” he said.

“The quality of our opposition this week will be significantly higher than what we have faced up until now. We know there is going to be a big step up.

“As we get closer to the game we will get sharper. There’s a healthy tension in the squad because we know this is what we have been working towards.”

Warburton: A lot more 50-50 calls in team selection

After losing their first game in Dublin to Argentina last month, the Lions have won all five warm-up matches in Australia.

The team for the Lions’ first Test against Australia will be named this Thursday at 8am, live on Sky Sports News.

Former Lions captain and Sky Sports‘ Sam Warburton believes team selection for this tour has been harder than previous years.

“There has been a lot of experimentation. Traditionally, the two Saturdays before the Test you start streamlining the Test team.

“I don’t think the Test team has been as obvious to pick compared to tours gone by. In tours gone by there may have been 10 to 12 players and if they are fit and playing reasonably well, they will start.

“I think there’s been a lot more 50-50 calls and still is. The Test team will be similar to the team we saw last Wednesday [against ACT Brumbies], so they would have had a runout together. They are on the right trajectory but there will be plenty of improvement, even in Test 1.”

British and Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports

Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches to be shown exclusively live.

Howden Insurance – proud principal partner and front-of-shirt sponsor of the British and Irish Lions. Find out more here.