‘I’VE HAD A FULL MoT AFTER LIVING UNDER A ROCK...’
SAM WARBURTON EXCLUSIVE Lions skipper reveals why he’s had to take this year out and why it will extend his career PLUS: His verdict on the new-look Wales
Lions skipper Sam Warburton believes Wales should head for Dublin full of confidence and still have a very good chance of winning the Six Nations title.
Warburton feels there is every reason for optimism despite the 12-6 defeat to England at Twickenham on Saturday.
And he says Warren Gatland’s men will go to the Aviva Stadium next week knowing they can beat Ireland.
Flanker Warburton, who has captained Wales more times than anyone else, is sidelined for the whole of this season following neck and knee surgery.
So he is taking on a watching brief during the Six Nations as a TV pundit and he likes what he has seen from the men in red so far.
“I think it’s been really good, actually,” he said.
“If I was going back to Wales training today, I would be walking in there with a spring in my step because the Championship is still on, which is great.
“There is still a very good chance we can win the title.
“I was at the England game and I watched it back again properly on TV because you can see a lot more that way, with all the intricate stuff at the breakdown, and we weren’t far off.
“The scrum was solid and we got a little bit of an edge there.
“The conditions weren’t great with the rain coming down and it was a bit greasy out there, but towards the end of the game we managed to play a bit.
“If I was Wales and they were playing England again next week, I bet they would all think they are going to win.
“There was a lot of good to come out of that match, so if I was Wales I would be full of confidence going to Dublin. We have to win every game now. We have to go to Ireland, where we have won a good few times lately, so the boys know they can do it, and then we have got two home games which we should be expecting to win if we want to be a Championshipwinning team.
“Then you have to rely on Ireland or Scotland to beat England.
“If I was Wales, I would be so optimistic.
“They have played some really good stuff.”
Warburton says Wales can also take long-term encouragement from the strength in depth they are building with new players stepping up to the plate in the absence of more established figures.
“I think that’s massively the case,” he said.
“To have so many boys out and beat Scotland like we did and to go to Twickenham and do what we did, we have 100 per cent confirmed that there is strength in depth now.
“It’s great that guys are getting experience now and playing so well.
“We could now pick a squad of 32, 33 where each guy could start and we perhaps haven’t had that in the past.
“That’s a great place to be 18 months out from a World Cup.
“It’s so good for the squad. You need to have people breathing down your neck to be a good team. You can’t have only 15 boys.
“Had we perhaps had the depth we have now at the 2015 World Cup, it might have been a little bit different. We might have been able to cope with the injuries a bit better.”
Warburton was speaking exclusively to the Western Mail as he announced that he is to have a testimonial year, beginning in April.