Quinnell backs O’Driscoll to lead Lions on Aussie tour

Rugby great Scott Quinnell wants to see Brian O’Driscoll handed the & Lions captaincy this summer.

The former Wales No8, who started all three Tests on the last tour of Australia, admits Sam Warburton is likely to get the nod from former mentor Warren Gatland.

But with Gatland suggesting he is prepared to break with tradition by not selecting his squad captain for the Test matches, Quinnell, who toured with O’Driscoll in 2001, believes the Ireland great is the stand-out candidate.

Quinnell, whose father Derek toured in 1971, 1977 and 1980, said: “In this situation, someone like O’Driscoll becomes a great potential captain because if he ended up not playing in the Tests, he would accept it and wouldn’t become a negative factor around the squad. He would be a force for the good and that dynamic for the captaincy will be vital.”

Gatland has vowed to keep his captain under wraps until he names the 37-man squad in seven days

But the likelihood of either O’Driscoll or Paul O’Connell leading the Lions grew fainter over the weekend after one bookmaker suspended betting on Sam Warburton following a flurry of bets on the Wales captain. Gatland has rarely, if ever, chosen a player outside of the pack to lead any of his teams having entrusted Keith Wood during his time with Ireland, Lawrence Dallaglio at Wasps and the likes of Warburton, Ryan Jones and Gethin Jenkins with Wales.

And Quinnell believes the New Zealander’s close relationship with trusted Wales skipper Warburton will hold sway.

Quinnell said: “For me, Sam is favourite given the relationship he has with Warren, and Warren has never really picked a back as captain.”