Maro Itoje of England will captain the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia later this year.
The 93-cap veteran, who made his Lions debut as a 22-year-old in New Zealand in 2017, was announced at a fans event by coach Andy Farrell in London on Thursday.
He was considered a front runner for the captaincy gig alongside Ireland skipper Caelan Doris.
However the Leinster and Ireland number eight suffered a shoulder injury in last weekend's European Champions Cup semifinal defeat that will require surgery.
Sadly for the Ireland star, he will now not even make the tour.
Itoje captained England to a second-place finish in this year's Six Nations in his first five matches since taking over from Jamie George.
"It is hard to articulate. It is a tremendous honour, a tremendous privilege," Itoje said.
"You think about the people who have held this position before and it is remarkable.
"It is an honour and I will do my very best so that I can contribute to a successful tour."
Itoje is the first Englishman to captain the Lions in 24 years, following from World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson.
The 30-year-old Saracens lock has twice toured with the Lions in his career, playing in all six possible Tests.
Farrell said the phone reception was terrible when he initially called Itoje, so much so that he hung up.
However, he was able to call back and ask: "By the way, would you like to be British and Irish Lions captain?"
"The captain is the beacon. He is the leader, he is the person everyone looks up to," Farrell told the audience at London's O2 Arena.
"Not only because he is outstanding at his profession, but how he makes others feel.
"It takes a special person, that's for sure."
Itoje was only named captain of his club side, Saracens, this season and then took over as skipper of England at the start of the year, on the eve of the Six Nations.
Despite former coach Eddie Jones having questions over his captaincy, the towering lock was always considered captaincy material, ever since leading England to the Under 20 World Cup title in 2014.
Old heads and big risks
All up, Farrell has selected an initial touring party of 38 players, with Ireland providing the highest number of players (15).
England has 13 players selected, with eight from Scotland and just two from Wales.
[Graph]There are few surprises in the pack, with England's Luke Cowan-Dickie perhaps a surprise to get the nod over former skipper George in at hooker.
However, one name that sticks out is 20-year-old bolter Henry Pollock.
The extraordinarily talented but extremely raw Northampton back row has played just one senior Test, but in his brief senior career has made a habit of embarrassing his more experienced opponents.
Most notably, Pollock starred in Northampton's shock European Champions Cup victory against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin last week, in front of Farrell.
Farrell, a former England cross-code international who has coached Ireland since 2019, had to make several huge calls in the backs, including at number 10.
There, he has decided against selecting Ireland protégé Sam Prendergast and his son, England's record points scorer and two-time Lions tourist, Owen Farrell.
Farrell has not played for England since the 2023 World Cup, plying his trade in France where he has struggled with injuries, playing just 17 games in the French Top 14 this year for Racing 92.
Despite that, he was seen as a potential wildcard pick in the one position where few candidates have nailed down their spot.
Prendergast had been considered a front runner after bursting onto the scene and starring in Ireland's demolition of England in round one of the Six Nations, but has since dramatically dropped off the boil, with his defence in particular a real liability at international level.
Instead, he has opted for mercurial Scotsman Finn Russell, with live-wire England pair Fin Smith and Marcus Smith.
Marcus Smith's versatility — he has been used as a fullback for England and club side Harlequins of late — would have aided his selection, as would that of utility back Elliot Daly.
Melbourne-born and Rebels-raised Sione Tuipulotu, who did not play a single minute of the Six Nations for adopted nation Scotland due to a pectoral injury, has been named and is expected to return to action this week.
Tuipulotu had played for the Wallabies U20s but, through his Scottish grandmother, was eligible to play for Scotland and has reinvented himself in the northern hemisphere.
Tuipulotu and Ireland wing Mac Hansen (Canberra) have joined the small group of Australian-raised players to have been selected for the Lions.
Alec Timms (1889), Tom Richards (1910), Ian Smith (1924), Brent Cockbain (2005), Nathan Hines (2009) and Tom Court (2013) have all suited up for the Lions having been raised in Australia.
After a horror two seasons, Welsh fans could not possibly have expected to have any more than a couple of players make the grade — scrum half Tomos Williams admitted to shedding a tear when he found out he had been selected — but providing just two would sting a nation with such proud Lions pedigree.
Two players is the equal lowest number of tourists from a single country since World War II, joining the two Scottish players who were selected in 2009 and 2017 — and that was despite the tour being led by a Scotsman, Ian McGeechan, in 2009.
Wales has not had fewer than five players in a Lions Tour since WWII.
Despite the disappointment for some players, perhaps most notably Scotland wing Darcy Graham, Farrell said the door was not closed.
"Commiserations for those who had dreams of being selected today, but there are stories on every single tour that we can talk about," Farrell said.
"For everyone who has ambition, keep fighting and stay fit. We will be watching."
