Warburton: Captain with the roar within

Eloquent Lions skipper calm, composed and knows how to say all the right things

Sam Warburton seems like the right sort of man to handle a crisis should one arise for the Lions. He talks with an eloquence that hints at his intelligence without giving away the true depth of his character.

He's calm, composed, clearly equipped with ample common sense and not one to worry too much about what others might be up to.

In answering questions at the Lions' first official media engagement in New Zealand, Warburton could hardly have made a better impression.

As he talked, it was hard at times not to wonder if he had modelled himself — more than he may ever admit — on former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.

The similarities were apparent. There was a considered response to everything — and a mix of honesty, confidence, humility and dry humour to spice the overall mix.

Warburton's not a bad player either and while many might feel he's been made captain of the Lions on the strength of his nationality and relationship with head coach Warren Gatland, that undersells the qualities of the Welsh openside.

Warburton is a good choice as Lions captain and would have been had he been Irish, English or Scottish.

No touring side can expect to succeed in New Zealand if they are all histrionics, big claims and idle boasts. The Lions don't need a shouter or a quiet hard man.

What they need is what they have in Warburton, a measured, eloquent yet not verbose leader who will obviously listen as much as he talks.

He's just as obviously going to set the tone for the rest of his squad as they attempt not to just tackle a ridiculous schedule, but also win back a few New Zealanders who went a bit cold on the Lions in 2005 when they arrived with a cast of thousands and then holed themselves up in Auckland.

Warburton, whether he meant it or not, said all the right things about his hosts.

“In 2011, I had quite a few Maori welcomes and I was here last summer, so I have spent 11 weeks in New Zealand,” he said. “And I have always loved it while I have been here.

“That was great for us to hit the ground and get welcomes and the one thing I have always thought about New Zealand is that it has always surprised me how friendly and how welcoming the people are when we get here and that is probably why it is my favourite place to play in the world obviously outside of my home country.”

Whether he is still saying that in five weeks will largely come down to his and Gatland's ability to unite a squad that is rich in talent, but short of preparation time.

And the enormity of the task ahead may be dawning on a few Lions players now they are in New Zealand and taking it all in.

Perspective always changes on arrival for touring teams because they can suddenly sense they have dropped in behind enemy lines and things feel different.

They are more intense, more confrontational. There is no escape from scrutiny and for these Lions they face having to play three games in the next 10 days.

Yes it's madness, of course it is, but Warburton is making sense of all that, seeing it as the challenge of a lifetime with the immediate goal to start things off with a win in Whangarei on Saturday against the Provincial Barbarians.

“A winning start is obviously much better than a losing start and we will obviously put pressure on ourselves to win that game,” he said.

“It is much easier to hit the training on Sunday after a win. But we have all been through losses and we have all bounced back from them so it won't be the end of the world.

“The No 1 priority for Saturday is to win and if that is not the case then we will have to reassess.”