How Jennifer Aniston convinced Sam he was right to give up Wales captaincy!

SAM Warburton has revealed how watching the smash-hit comedy Friends has convinced him giving up the Wales captaincy was the right move.

The flanker is a fan of the television series and an episode where the future of Rachel, played by Jennifer Aniston, was on the line struck a chord with Warburton.

“It sounds a bit stupid, but I recall an episode of Friends where they recommend Rachel lose her job,” he said.

“When asked why, they said: ‘Because you need the fear.’ It was a similar thing with me.

“I genuinely wanted to not be captain because you needed to play not knowing you will be involved in the next game; you need to have that fear of not being selected.

“That’s what drives you every week. At the start of the campaign I was thinking it was going to be the toughest back-row selection we have been involved with and it has justified that. It is so difficult.”

World star Taulupe Faletau has been confined to the substitutes’ bench with Warburton, Justin Tipuric and Six Nations revelation Ross Moriarty the starting back-row trio against Scotland at Murrayfield after shining in Italy and at home to champions England.

“That was another reason regarding the captaincy. If you are captain, it is a massive call to drop you,” said Warburton.

“People are talking about the four who are in the 23 but you have still got James King, one of Ospreys’ most consistent players, Olly Cracknell, who has been great this season, Thomas Young...

“You really do know that if you fall below that 90% level of your ability then you will probably go down to the bench or not be selected at all.

“It is great that we have that competition. Players, and we do not just say this, really do want that competition. You can see it with all the back rowers, it is driving really good performances, which is healthy for the squad.”

Warburton agreed he may have been becoming stale after spending in excess of six years as skipper and before relinquishing leadership duties to lock Alun Wyn Jones for the European title race.

“I guess I was perhaps. I thought if I was not captain I would have more hunger to want to play and start for Wales and almost prove it (his ability) to myself again,” explained the 28-year-old.

“I felt I had to prove myself in the first two weeks. I wanted to set myself a challenge and justify my place in the starting team without having the armband.

“I want to be in the starting XV because I am one of the best players and that’s what I want to prove to myself.”

And the popular Warburton believes it has been the spur for him to produce his best form on the international stage since the 2015 World Cup.

“I have enjoyed playing the last few weeks and they have been better performances than 2016,” he smiled.

“It was definitely the right decision. Sometimes in hindsight you look back on these things and wonder if the right decision was made, but I definitely think it was.

“I have still got to try and back it up again this weekend and make sure I do that for the whole of the campaign.

“My target is to play as well as I can for every fixture I am involved in; two games is not going to be good enough for me.

“I have been satisfied with the way I have played individually so far and am looking forward to improving again in the next few weeks.”

The 71-times capped forward remains part of Wales’ leadership group and is an influential figure in the camp.

“That is why it will not be too different for Alun Wyn who has been involved in that anyway and I still have an opportunity to be involved in the working week if I feel I need to,” went on Warburton.

“It’s weird; not a lot has actually changed. I guess it is in your head, a perception of not being captain and the weight that does take off your shoulders.

“Day to day, I can contribute as much as I want to. It is in the head a bit when you have the captaincy. It’s strange and I don’t know why.

“You see it across the board where people are not captain and perform a bit better. I do not know why it happens; it must be mental but I think it has had a positive effect on me.”

Warburton insisted he hadn’t considered the possibility of captaining Wales in the future.

“Even if Alun Wyn got injured I have not thought about who they (coaches) would ask. At the minute I am enjoying not doing it, focusing on myself,” he said.

But Warburton revealed he would put his country first in the right circumstances, stressing: “If it was the best thing for the team, of course I would do it.

“I took over in Rome when Alun Wyn temporarily went off, but I did not have an option then. Cory Hill came on and said: ‘Warby, you’re captain.’ I had to get on with it and knew it would only be for five or 10 minutes.”

This year’s Six Nations has been the best for years with Britain and Ireland’s stars bidding to make Warren Gatland’s squad for the end of season tour of New Zealand.

And 2013 Lions leader Warburton is expecting more of the same when Wales bid to extend their winning streak over Scotland to 10 on Saturday in a match in which the loser can almost certainly forget about being crowned this year’s Six Nations kings.

“Back-row is nuts for competition for places. Scotland’s has been performing extremely well at the breakdowns and forcing a lot of turnovers,” he said.

“We managed to do pretty well against England and were only turned over once at the end of the game. We want to replicate that this week.

“I was battered after the England game. Tuesday, which would normally be a heavy day for us, I could not imagine doing line-out lifts.

“I was in bits and I know the English lads felt the same.

“We still came into train but did not do anything heavy duty until the end of the week when we had a couple of big days training.

“During the Six Nations, you do not have much time to see the family. I feel a bit bad because I do not have much time to see my mates; I spend as much time with the family as I can, two days a week I’m with my little one. Boring I know, not really rock and roll.”

And Friends; how big a fan is he of Joey, Rachel, Monica and Chandler?

“I do enjoy watching them, replied Warburton.

“You try and do things to take you away from the sort of bubble that is the Six Nations and watching DVDs is a way of doing that.”