Lions captain Warburton out with neck problem

British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton is set to miss the first four months of the European season following the recurrence of a neck injury, it was announced yesterday. The statement from the Cardiff Blues, the Wales flanker’s club, means Warburton will miss Wales’s end of year home Tests against Australia, Georgia, New Zealand and South Africa. The Blues said that Warburton had “exacerbated” the injury in training this week. Warburton, 28, had yet to make his first appearance of the season after a postLions break before returning to training, having led the combined British and Irish Lions side to a drawn series away to New Zealand, the reigning world champions. “Sam Warburton will undergo surgery following a recurrence of a long-standing neck injury,” Cardiff said. “The Cardiff Blues flanker, who led the British and Irish Lions to a drawn Test series with New Zealand in the summer, exacerbated the injury in training this week. “He has undergone scans and has been reviewed by a consultant, who confirmed the management plan.