The youngest player to captain a side at a World Cup has called it a day at 29Sam Warburton was reflecting at the start of last year on how long his career may have to run. He had turned 28 two months before and, while he wistfully thought of still playing at the age of 35, he conceded that his body, after 18 major injuries, would probably not hold out that long. As it turned out his final outing would come six months later, helping the British & Irish Lions draw the series in New Zealand with a decisive intervention at the end of the third Test when he gently dissuaded the referee, Romain Poite, from awarding the All Blacks a penalty...
Robert Kitson imagines an alternative reality in which Sam Warburton’s boys had the chance to win the series against the All Blacks rather than settle for a drawIt was a drizzly evening in Auckland as Sam Warburton slipped out of the British & Irish Lions’ team hotel by a side entrance and climbed into the passenger seat of a sponsored car. The journey across town to the All Blacks hotel would take only a few minutes but Warburton was in no mood to rush.This was the biggest week of his life and he wanted to feel absolutely certain he was doing the right thing. Continue reading...
Tourists found wanting in final stages against Highlanders; Warburton needs to prove he is up to speed; discipline disintegrates and Ben Te’o the man for No12If a second midweek defeat of the tour has brought the Lions down to earth, there is equally no need for Warren Gatland to panic. There were positives in the 23-22 defeat in Dunedin – they outscored the Highlanders three tries to two after all – but many of their failings against the Blues returned. It was a breathless match, the best so far, but the Lions were found wanting in the final stages. Should Owen Farrell rather than Greig Laidlaw have kicked at goal considering it was his first involvement? Should Elliot Daly have...
Warren Gatland has selected an abrasive and battle-hardened Lions squad for the formidable challenge of taking on the All Blacks in their own backyardThere can be a slight sense of anticlimax in the immediate aftermath of a British & Ireland Lions squad announcement. Not every deserving individual gets picked, not every country feels fairly represented and the brutal realities of the schedule, particularly this summer, are not easily ignored. It generally takes a while for everyone to calm down and appreciate precisely what the selectors are seeking to achieve.In the case of the 2017 Lions, ultimately, it is less the shortage of Scots that leaps out than the bristling bundle of competitive energy heading New Zealand’s way. This is not...
The selection debate will be settled on Wednesday when experience and versatility are likely to be key factors in Warren Gatland’s thinking to face New ZealandWhen Warren Gatland named his squad for the 2013 tour to Australia it was evident that the Lions would be playing the power game that had delivered Wales consecutive Six Nations titles. As Wednesday’s announcement of the 37 players who will take on New Zealand this summer is awaited, a trip that will be considerably more demanding in the warm-up matches never mind the three Tests, the tactics are harder to discern.The international game has moved on appreciably in the past four years. It is faster because of a greater emphasis on retaining possession, kicking...