Warburton will return in shape of his life for World Cup

IT’S a huge blow for Wales to lose Sam Warburton for the rest of the season.

He just doesn’t seem to have any luck with injuries, does he?

After undergoing neck surgery, Sam has now had a knee problem fixed while still away from the field and it means we’re unlikely to see him in action until the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

I’m sure Warren Gatland will be gutted, but deep down he’ll also know that the bigger picture is the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Hopefully Sam’s break can help him get to that tournament in fine fettle.

I know Sam well having played under him and by this stage of his career, he’ll know all too well how to deal with injuries. Now is the chance for him to get in the shape of his life for 2019.

Openside is one of the most attritional positions in modern-day rugby and Sam has taken his fair share of the brunt.

He’s had blow after blow, but we saw with Richie McCaw and his sabbatical before RWC2015 that such a break can have a hugely beneficial impact. Of course McCaw’s long time away from the game was different to Sam’s current scenario in that he wasn’t forced into it by injury.

But I still think that the two cases could end up having the same future benefits. We all know Sam is a world-class operator when fully fit and I think he will be that come the World Cup.

In the meantime, of course, Wales will miss him. But one of the positives of the November Tests was the emergence of Josh Navidi and Aaron Shingler.

Justin Tipuric, Ellis Jenkins, James Davies, Ollie Griffiths and potentially Ross Moriarty could all be back for the Six Nations, too.

Sam missing the whole of this season is a case of short-term pain for longterm gain and if, like McCaw, he comes back and helps his team lift the World Cup, it’ll all be worth it.