Captain Sam... whose status as
THERE is an old saying. If you want to hide the treasure, put it in plain sight. Then no one will see it.
As Sam Warburton bows out of the game, it’s a phrase I have been wrestling with.
He was the world-class treasure who defined a generation of Welsh and British rugby in the same way as the likes of Gareth, Barry and JPR did the 1970s.
And you could argue he did it all hidden in plain sight.
It seems ridiculous to suggest that a player who will go down as one of Wales’ greatest was underrated, but the fact of the matter is that many failed to recognise just how brilliant Warburton was.
Perhaps it was his long spells out injured or that other players were doing more things more obvious to the naked eye that made people question him from time to time – usually well away from the Test window where Warburton was nothing less than a machine.
Yet time after time, Warburton would silence them on the biggest stage – reminding the world that he truly was a treasure for all to see.
He was the captain, the leader, the face of the teams he spearheaded with his superlative breakdown work, the target of almost every opponent he faced.
But, plain sight or not, this particular treasure had no interest in hiding.
Perhaps that is why his illustrious career was cut short at the age of 29.
His injuries tell not just the story of a rugby player besieged by bad luck, but a man who truly excelled at what he did and put his body on the line time and time again to do it.
When you look at how he played, it is little wonder he suffered the unfortunate catalogue of injuries he did.
As he emerged onto the Test scene in 2009, he was a promising breakdown specialist.
By his final appearance at Eden Park against New Zealand in July 2017, he was a well-rounded world class back-rower at the peak of his powers.
But just what made Sam Warburton so special as a player?
The main facet was his work at the breakdown.
A number of top-level players could claim to rival Warburton in jackalling technique, but the Welshman was virtually unparalleled in his decision-making at the breakdown.
For all the physicality of the tackle area, Warburton was a true breakdown intellectual – knowing when to go in for the kill, slow the ball down or just leave things well alone.
He finished with 132 turnovers for Wales – but that number alone will never tell the true story of the disruption he could cause to a breakdown.
His comprehension and judgement was more of a thorn to the opposition than sheer physicality could ever be.