Ireland centre Brian ODriscoll is the current favourite to head the cream of British Isles rugby against the All Blacks.

Injury and a loss of form casts a shadow over England World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson while Scotlands Gordon Bulloch and Wales Gareth Thomas are newcomers to international captaincy and are unlikely choices.

Woodward will thus wait until the end of next years RBS 6 Nations before deciding who should fill arguably the most crucial position on the tour - but emphasised there can be no doubts that whoever lands the job will feature against the All Blacks.

He said: The identity of the Lions captain is very, very important and is one of the things Im thinking about.

The biggest thing about the captain is the guy has to deserve his place in the team - that is absolutely critical.

People get injured and lose form so it would be wrong to ink in a captain until youve seen the guys in action during the Autumn internationals and the Six Nations.

It doesnt matter if he comes from the backs or the forwards. Its down to personality. The biggest thing is the whole squad must know the captain will always be in the Test line-up.

Then you start looking at all the other aspects of leadership. Its a very important role in terms of bringing the four nations together."