Wrong to blame Rob for narrow defeats Warburton
SAM Warburton has blasted critics of Rob Howley, insisting Wales’ interim boss is well equipped to fill the boots of Warren Gatland when the New Zealander walks away.
Howley, who now turns his attention to coaching the Lions under Gatland this summer, has been deluged by negative Press in the wake of Wales’ fifth place Six Nations finish. However, Warburton told
TRP: “There were aspects of the Six Nations we could have improved upon, but moments went against us against England and France and we were inches from winning four games.
“England won four games and were champions when potentially that could have been us, so the margins were incredibly fine and it’s harsh to pin any blame on Rob.
“He’s had unbelievable success with Wales and been on a winning Lions tour as well. He’s won a Six Nations and he’d be a brilliant candidate to lead Wales forward.”
Meanwhile, Warburton would love to see high profile signings such as Leigh Halfpenny and Tomas Francis at Cardiff as his region look to end a trophy drought.
Warburton said: “We were hoping for a top six finish this season, which looks a push now, but we’ve had a decent run in the Challenge Cup and are building a good squad.
“Any guys who are internationally capped would be a massive bonus and Leigh and Tomas are top quality players who the club are working hard to recruit.
“There’s been a long transition period since we won the Challenge Cup in 2010 and challenged at the top of the league, but I’m convinced we’re going in the right direction under Danny Wilson and that’s why I put pen to paper for three more years. A huge aspiration of mine is to win the Pro 12 or another big cup competition here.”