The Lions ended their tour of New Zealand in incredibly tense style as they clung to a 15-15 scoreline to record only a second series against the All Blacks without defeat.
Their shot at complete sporting immortality wash dashed with the draw, but their names will still go down in history after they lost just once to the best side in sport in their own backyard.
The tour has seen a number of players strengthen their claim to being world class players with the likes of Conor Murray and Jonathan Davies outstanding throughout. Indeed, Davies was named the Player of the Tour following his superb displays throughout the series.
There will never be a complete consensus on the best player, but Davies was deserving of the accolade. One man that many feel was within a whisker of taking the plaudits Davies received is Maro Itoje.
The English lock was once again incredible for his side. Brought in for George Kruis to partner Alun Wyn Jones, Itoje added an energy and class to the forwards that saw the Saracens player not lose when he started against the All Blacks.
Indeed, following the full time whistle on Saturday morning, Itoje was the man most were praising, with the great Brodie Retallick relegated to the back benches. This in itself is an incredible achievement and shows the level Itoje is playing at.
The youngest player on the tour will be firmly in the mind of England coach Eddie Jones as the next captain of his side too. Itoje’s qualities in his own game and his leadership and ability to galvanise his teammates are exactly the sort of qualities a captain must have.
Dylan Hartley was a choice that has worked well for Jones, but he rarely finishes the whole 80 minutes and his disciplinary record must be a worry for England. Would it be so outrageous to assume that the Sarries forward will already be moving towards the captaincy?
The way Itoje is going though, captaining England will not be the summit of his ambition. Sam Warburton lead his team valiantly in the second and third Tests and, following a lot of derision, was actually an inspired choice for the captaincy.
At just 28-years-old, Warburton will still feel that he can lead the side again, but if Itoje can continue this meteoric rise, it will be almost impossible to ignore him as the man best suited to lead the Lions out in South Africa in four year's time.
