Thursday 4 May 2017 08:39, UK
Warren Gatland would not be surprised if Maro Itoje is one of the British and Irish Lions players targeted by New Zealand this summer.
Itoje has emerged as one of the best young forwards in the sport, being named World Rugby's Breakthrough Player of the Year and producing a series of superb displays for his country and club Saracens.
Itoje will be on his first Lions tour, having made his first senior appearance for the Aviva Premiership club in the months after the victorious 2013 trip to Australia.
And his relative inexperience could just add to the All Blacks' desire to go after him, with Gatland saying: "He could be a player they may target and I'll be interested to see how he responds to that.
"They might see him as potentially a key for the Lions and see if they can shut him down, or physically dominate him.
"He's going to have to learn from that."
Although the All Blacks often play expansive rugby, Gatland feels the strength of their pack can get overlooked and he expects the three Tests could, at times, turn into a "bit of a dogfight".
And that is where Itoje's power and strong running will turn into an advantage, as Gatland added: "The more he plays the better he's going to get. He's got a massive engine on him and his work-rate is just phenomenal.
"Hopefully we can get him to play a little bit smarter in terms of picking his moments, with that youthful enthusiasm of trying all the time.
"He's just involved in everything. Just looking at him, he will respond to that challenge."
