Robshaw looking captain material for British and Irish Lions
Published:Chris Robshaw can simply do no more in his quest to captain the British and Irish Lions on their tour of Australia later this year and a price of 4/7 that he is handed the armband by Warren Gatland still looks a fair price.
Robshaw has certainly led from the front in helping England win their opening three Six Nations games.
He made more ball carries than any other forward and topped the tackle count against Ireland to help England gain a first win in Dublin for a decade and followed up with a man of the match display at Twickenham against France.
Former England stars Mike Tindall and Graham Rowntree have also championed Robshaw’s cause and if England do complete the Grand Slam, Robshaw will be even tougher to oppose as Lions skipper.
The fact that Sam Warburton can’t get into the Welsh team at present is another positive for Robshaw, given that he is the main challenger for the Lions number seven jersey.
Lions coach Gatland has previously indicated that form players were most likely to board the plane to Australia and that his captain would probably be one of the team’s most guaranteed starters.
These points would further boost Robshaw’s chances, with the only obvious hindrances being the fact this is his first Lions tour and he remains inexperienced compared to others.
Brian O’Driscoll certainly has the experience to lead the Lions, but a combination of injuries and competition at centre means he is not the guaranteed starter of days gone by.
O’Driscoll is 2/1 to be named Lions captain.
The betting suggests it’s a two-horse race with Alun-Wyn Jones next at 14/1, although there has been some support for Scotland skipper Kelly Brown, who has been backed into 25/1 from 50/1.
Brown has led Scotland to back-to-back victories over Italy and Ireland and if more of the same continues, he could be a threat.
However, it is tough to see Brown getting the number seven shirt over Robshaw.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
