The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Warburton likely to be handed captaincy again
Sam Warburton looks set to join England World Cup winner Martin Johnson as a two-time British and Irish Lions captain in New Zealand this summer.
The Wales flanker’s expected appointment today would see him lead the Lions on successive tours – as Johnson did in 1997 and 2001 – and become only the second player to do the job twice.
Although 28-year-old Warburton stepped down from the Wales captaincy ahead of this season’s RBS 6 Nations Championship – lock and fellow Lion Alun Wyn Jones took over – he has been the bookmakers’ Lions favourite for several weeks.
And Danny Wilson, Warburton’s head coach at Cardiff Blues, has no doubt the Lions’ 2013 tour skipper in Australia will lead by example.
“When you think of the Lions and the amount of top-quality players and leaders that they will have, there will be more than one guy leading the ship,” Wilson said.
“There will be leaders right across all areas, on and off the field.
“What Sam brings as a leader is he leads by example. That is probably his biggest trait.
“His work ethic, his professionalism, the way he conducts himself on and off the field is an example that people follow.”
Warburton is currently sidelined from playing because of a knee ligament strain suffered during the Blues’ Guinness PRO12 clash against Ulster earlier this month.
But he could return to action before the Lions’ departure for New Zealand on May 29, with the Blues facing a possible European Champions Cup qualification play-off final in just under six weeks’ time.
“He may get an opportunity to play before he goes, but also he will be well looked after conditioning-wise,” Wilson added.
“It’s just a case of getting back on the bike, so to speak.
“If you think of Sam’s rugby this season, he has probably played more rugby than he has in the last couple. In terms of miles on the clock, he will be in a good place.
“It will then be about him getting over a short period out of the game, as opposed to any real lengthy period.
“We have been pleased this year in terms of Sam’s involvement for the Blues. He has played a lot of rugby this year, so in many ways a break might freshen him up a little bit.”
Warburton has won 74 Wales caps, captaining his country in more than half of those games and being at the helm for World Cup campaigns in 2011 and 2015, when Wales reached the semi-finals and quarter-finals, respectively.
The squad looks sure to be dominated by Six Nations champions England – but their big name omissions could grab headlines.
While players like Ben Te’o, Elliot Daly, Joe Marler and Maro Itoje should become first-time Lions in New Zealand, some high-profile casualties are also possible.
Lions boss Warren Gatland and his coaching staff put the finishing touches to their selection during a meeting yesterday afternoon against a backdrop of uncertainty surrounding Lions hopefuls such as centre Jonathan Joseph, fly-half George Ford, hooker Dylan Hartley and lock Joe Launchbury.
While England captain and hooker Hartley seems likely to make it, his team-mates might fall by the wayside.
New Zealand-born Te’o might have done enough to surprisingly edge out razor-sharp Bath ace Joseph, and Wasps forward Launchbury may be a casualty of Gatland’s considerable second-row options.
Ford, meanwhile, looks to have lost out behind Wales No 10 Dan Biggar.
Lions tour manager John Spencer will announce the squad at midday.
Gatland then has 40 days to departure for New Zealand, with the Lions kicking off their 10-match trip against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians in Whangarei on June 3 as they target a first Test series triumph against the All Blacks since 1971.