Warburton ruled out of the autumn Tests with fresh injury setback
Flanker will miss four months with neck issue Wales head into series with crisis in back row
Sam Warburton, who captained the British and Irish Lions to a series draw against New Zealand, has been ruled out for up to four months with a neck injury and will miss the Test against the world champions in November.
The Cardiff Blues and Wales flanker requires an operation after exacerbating his long-standing neck injury in training this week and is also likely to miss the start of the Six Nations Championship in February. Wales are due to play Australia, Georgia, New Zealand and South Africa this autumn. It is a devastating setback for the 28-year- old, who overcame knee and calf injuries to win his place back in the Lions starting XV for the second and third Test matches against the All Blacks and would have captained Wales against New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium on Nov 25.
Warren Gatland, the Wales head coach who also led the Lions tour in the summer, now has serious injury problems in his back row for the four-test campaign – Ross Moriarty is sidelined with a back injury while Ellis Jenkins and James Davies are out with hamstring and shoulder injuries respectively.
It is a cruel blow for Warburton, whose career has been troubled by injuries which have massively restricted his appearances for Cardiff Blues. He has had at least 20 serious injuries and has undergone six operations.
“He has undergone scans and has been reviewed by a consultant who confirmed the management plan,” said a Cardiff Blues statement. “It is likely that Sam will miss a period of up to four months.”
Cardiff Blues head coach Danny Wilson said: “It’s a major blow for all concerned. He is obviously extremely frustrated. He thought that, after two months, he would come back really fresh but this is the right thing to do.”
Meanwhile, a leading international referee believes teams from the Six Nations will have an advantage going into the autumn Tests because of the new laws that are being trialled in the northern hemisphere. The new laws, including several that affect the scrum and ruck, have been introduced in Europe this season but have not yet been trialled in the southern hemisphere. Wayne Barnes, England’s leading referee, has already spoken to England head coach Eddie Jones in detail about the changes, and believes they will be looking to take advantage. “Unfortunately for the southern hemisphere, but fortunately for us, come November they’ll be playing under our laws so they’ve got to get used to them,” he said.
England face Tests against Argentina, Australia and Samoa in November.
“If we get a small advantage up here, I’m sure the coaches will try to use it,” Barnes added. “We all know that Eddie has a keen eye for detail and he will be keen for us to just add to that environment.
“We will go in and support them, whether it is me, JP [Doyle] or Matt [Carley], we will be in every one of their training sessions, so when they have their contact sessions they get used to how they are being refereed.”