Sam Warburton

Last updated

Sam Warburton
OBE MStJ
Sam Warburton cropped.jpg
Warburton at the 2012 Grand Slam celebrations
Birth nameSam Kennedy Warburton
Date of birth (1988-10-05) 5 October 1988 (age 35)
Place of birth Cardiff, Wales
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm) [1]
Weight15 st 8 lb (99 kg) [1]
School Whitchurch High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2006–2009 Glamorgan Wanderers 27 (10)
Correct as of 12 September 2009
Provincial / State sides
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2009–2018 Cardiff Rugby 106 (90)
Correct as of 7 April 2017
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)

2007
2008
2009–2017
2013, 2017 		Wales U18
Wales U19
Wales U20
Wales
British & Irish Lions
5
4
74
5
(0)
(5)
(25)
(0)
Correct as of 10 July 2017

Samuel Kennedy-Warburton, OBE MStJ (born 5 October 1988), commonly known as Sam Warburton, is a Welsh former international rugby union player. Warburton played rugby for Cardiff Rugby and was first capped for Wales in 2009.

Contents

He usually played as an openside flanker but was also capable of playing at blindside. In June 2011, he was named as Wales captain versus the Barbarians and subsequently in August 2011 he was named as the Wales captain for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In April 2013, he was named the Lions' captain for the 2013 tour to Australia, and was also named as captain for the 2017 tour to New Zealand. [2] [3] Warburton held the record for the most Wales caps as captain (49) until surpassed by Alun Wyn Jones.

In July 2018, the Wales and British & Irish Lions captain announced his retirement from rugby union at 29 years of age after failing to fully recover from neck and back surgery [4]

Early and personal life

Warburton was born in Wales to English parents and he considers himself Welsh and British. [5] He has an older twin brother, Ben, who played at semi-professional level with Glamorgan Wanderers RFC and is now a physiotherapist for the Scarlets, and an older sister Holly, a schoolteacher. Their great-grandfather, George Reed, was a professional footballer who played 150 times for Leeds United in the 1920s and 1930s. [6] [7] He attended Whitchurch High School and left with three A Levels. [6]

As a youngster he was a keen football player and played for his school team alongside schoolmate Real Madrid and Wales forward Gareth Bale. [8] [9] He had a trial with local club Cardiff City at the age of 14 but chose to concentrate on rugby instead. He played on the junior teams of Rhiwbina RFC and played for Glamorgan Wanderers RFC whilst a member of the Cardiff Rugby Academy. [10]

On 5 July 2014, Warburton married long term partner Rachel Thomas in a church ceremony in Newport, before the couple held a reception at the Celtic Manor Resort. [11] He is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur FC.

Career

Warburton represented Wales at all levels, captaining the under-18s, under-19s and under-20s. He led Wales to the semi-finals of the World Championships at under-19 and under-20 level. [12] [13] Warburton made his debut for the senior Wales national team against the United States on 6 June 2009.

On 18 January 2010, he was named in the 35-man Wales squad for the 2010 Six Nations. [14] He scored his first international try against Italy in the 2011 Six Nations. [15] Warburton captained Wales for the first time against the Barbarians on 4 June 2011 at the age of 22 years and 242 days becoming Wales' second-youngest captain after Gareth Edwards. In a World Cup warm-up match against England, Warburton was named man of the match. In August 2011, he was named as captain for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in the absence of the injured Matthew Rees. [16]

2011 Rugby World Cup

In the opening match of the tournament against South Africa, Warburton became the youngest World Cup captain. He was tasked with facing the South African openside flanker, Heinrich Brüssow (Brüssow was coming off a string of injuries). While Wales lost 17–16, Warburton won man of the match, forcing four turnovers and making nearly a quarter of Wales' tackles (23 out of 99). Despite Warburton's efforts, Brüssow's counter-rucking allowed the Springboks to win possession from the Welsh in the final seconds of the game, allowing Fourie du Preez to kick the ball out for the victory. [ citation needed ] Warburton continued his form in the match against Samoa, making numerous turnovers and 17 tackles as Wales won 17–10. Warburton played another good game against Namibia before being rested for the final half-hour in the 81–7 game. Wales then booked their place in the quarter-finals against Ireland with a 66–0 win over Fiji, in direct contrast to the loss of four years earlier. Warburton was again at the heart of the performance making some steals and some good runs, and also scoring his second test try. At the end of this remarkable few weeks, Warburton was then voted the Player of Pool D by the fans; he had taken the tournament by storm, making the highest number of turnovers. [17]

Wales then met Ireland in the quarter-final as Warburton faced the in-form Irish openside flanker Seán O'Brien, in the 'battle of the opensides'. Wales reached the semi-final for the first time in 24 years with a 22–10 win, as Warburton continued his form, making 21 tackles and a number of turnovers, disrupting Ireland's ball. In the semi-final against an out-of-form France, Warburton became the second Wales player to receive a red card in a World Cup when he was sent off after 18 minutes by the Irish referee Alain Rolland for a dangerous tackle on Vincent Clerc. [18] Warburton admitted the offence at a disciplinary hearing in Auckland, and stated to the press that the decision was fair. However, he stated in his autobiography in 2019 that he actually considered that only a yellow card should have been awarded. [19] Despite the sending off, the Guardian newspaper, Brynmor Williams and Sir Ian McGeechan, the Lions coach, named him player of the tournament. [ citation needed ]

2012 Six Nations

In spite of the return of former captain Matthew Rees, Warburton retained the Wales captaincy for the 2012 Six Nations. However, the campaign was disrupted by injury. In the opening match against Ireland, Warburton went off injured at half-time with a dead leg, but Wales managed to win 23–21. He missed the 27–13 win over Scotland but returned for the Triple Crown decider against England. Wales won 19–12. Warburton was at his best making steals, carries, taking lineouts, but it was his try-saving tackle on Manu Tuilagi that caught the eye. The England centre seemed destined to score in the corner but Warburton launched himself low and grabbed his ankles to make a superb try-saver. [20] As a result, he was awarded man of the match. However, he sustained a knee injury and missed the 24–3 win over Italy. He returned for the Grand Slam decider against France but was once again injured, this time his shoulder and was taken off at half-time. Wales prevailed though 16–9 to claim a Grand Slam. Warburton would then lift the trophy with one hand, since his other shoulder was in a sling. He later spoke of his guilt at going off at half-time and asked vice-captains Gethin Jenkins and Ryan Jones to share the raising of the trophy, but the veterans said it was his moment. [21] The injury he sustained would rule him out for six weeks, returning in time for the Lions tour of Australia in June 2013.

2015 Six Nations

Warburton surpassed the record of 33 caps as Wales captain held by Ryan Jones against Ireland on 14 March 2015.

British & Irish Lions

Warburton was named as captain of a 37-man squad for the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, making him the youngest ever Lions captain at the age of 24. [22] Warburton was selected as captain in the first test in Brisbane, combining in the back row with Tom Croft and Jamie Heaslip. The Lions won 23–21 with Warburton topping the tackle count with 14. Warburton started the second test a week later. The Lions lost 16–15 and many considered the turning point to be when Warburton got injured and left the field. Warburton was magnificent at the breakdown preventing the Wallabies from having a platform. [23] However, the hamstring injury he picked up in the second test meant Warburton was ruled out of the final, deciding test, with Alun Wyn Jones captaining the team to a 41–16 win and the Lions’ first series victory since 1997. After the match, Warburton and Jones raised the Tom Richards Cup together.

In April 2017, Warburton was selected by Warren Gatland to captain the Lions for the 2017 tour to New Zealand. [24]

International tries

[25]

TryOpponentLocationVenueCompetitionDateResult
1Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Rome, Italy Stadio Olimpico 2011 Six Nations 26 February 2011Win
2Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji Hamilton, New Zealand Waikato Stadium 2011 Rugby World Cup 2 October 2011Win
3Flag of France.svg  France Cardiff, Wales Millennium Stadium 2014 Six Nations 21 February 2014Win
4Flag of Italy.svg  Italy Rome, Italy Stadio Olimpico 2015 Six Nations 21 March 2015Win
5Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Cardiff, Wales Millennium Stadium 2016 Autumn Internationals 19 November 2016Win

Honours

Cardiff Rugby

Wales

He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the University of South Wales in 2013. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gethin Jenkins</span> Wales and British Lions international rugby union player

Gethin Jenkins is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a prop for Pontypridd, Celtic Warriors, Cardiff Blues and Toulon. At international level, he won 129 caps for Wales. On his 105th appearance in 2014, he became Wales' most-capped player, overtaking the record held by Stephen Jones; having earned his final cap in November 2016, his record was surpassed by Alun Wyn Jones in September 2019. He is one of a small group of Welsh players to have won three Grand Slams. He also won five caps for the British & Irish Lions on three tours in 2005, 2009 and 2013. He is the sixth most-capped player in rugby union history and the most-capped front-row forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Jones</span> Welsh rugby union player

Ryan Paul Jones is a Wales former international rugby union player who played at number eight, blindside flanker or second row. He was involved in three Grand Slam wins, in 2005, as captain in 2008, and 2012. He is one of a small group of Welsh players to have won three Grand Slams including Gerald Davies, Gareth Edwards, J.P.R. Williams, Adam Jones, Gethin Jenkins and Alun Wyn Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alain Rolland</span> Rugby player

Alain Colm Pierre Rolland is a former Ireland rugby union international and rugby union referee. He also played for Leinster. He refereed the final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and was an assistant referee in the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In September 2013 he announced his intention to retire from refereeing at the end of the 2013/14 season.

Gavin Michael Thomas is a Welsh former international rugby union player who played as a flanker. He played his club rugby for Tondu, Bridgend, Bath, the Ospreys, the Scarlets and the Newport Gwent Dragons, and was capped 24 times for Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Rees</span> British Lions & Wales international rugby union footballer

Matthew Rees is a Welsh former professional rugby union footballer who played as a hooker. After beginning his career with Tonyrefail RFC and Merthyr RFC, he made his professional debut for Pontypridd RFC in 2001. With the arrival of regional rugby in Wales in 2003, he joined the Celtic Warriors, but their closure a year later led to him signing for the Llanelli Scarlets. He played more than 180 matches for the Scarlets, captaining them on several occasions, leading to his first Wales call-up in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alun Wyn Jones</span> Wales and British Lions international rugby union player

Alun Wyn Jones is a Welsh former international rugby union player who played as a lock. He played most of his career for Ospreys and for the Wales national team. He is the world's most-capped rugby union player, with 158 caps for Wales and 13 for the British & Irish Lions, and also holds the records for the most Wales caps and the second most Wales caps as captain. He retired from rugby in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinrich Brüssow</span> South Africa international rugby union player

Heinrich Wilhelm Brüssow is a South African former professional rugby union player. His usual position was as open-side flanker and his most recent club was Northampton Saints in the English Premiership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Hibbard</span> Wales international rugby union & league footballer

Richard Hibbard is a retired Wales international rugby union player who last played for the Dragons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Owens</span> Welsh rugby player

Kenneth James Owens is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a hooker for the Scarlets and Wales. He made his debut for the Scarlets in 2006, taking over from Matthew Rees as their first-choice hooker upon Rees' departure for the Cardiff Blues in 2013. He also served as backup to Rees, among others, for Wales following his debut against Namibia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In 2016, he took over as Wales' first-choice hooker, and in January 2023, following almost a year out with a back injury, he was named as captain for the 2023 Six Nations Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Croft</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Tom Croft is a retired rugby union player. He played 173 games for Leicester Tigers between 2005–17 winning four Premiership Rugby titles, played 40 times for England between 2008–2015, was part of the squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and the British & Irish Lions in 2009 to South Africa and 2013 to Australia. His career was somewhat plagued with a variety of minor and serious injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Roberts</span> British Lions & Wales international rugby union footballer

Jamie Huw Roberts is a Welsh former professional rugby union player, who played as a centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhys Priestland</span> Welsh rugby union player

Rhys Priestland is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Cardiff Rugby and the Wales national team. Although he primarily plays as a fly-half, he is also capable of playing at full-back. Born in Llangathen, Carmarthenshire, he began his career with Llanelli RFC before progressing to the Scarlets regional side. After eight years with the Scarlets, he moved to England to play for Bath in the English Premiership, where he spent six seasons before returning to Wales with Cardiff Rugby. He made his Wales debut in 2011, and earned 50 caps – including being named in the squad for the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups – before his move to England made him ineligible for selection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Turnbull</span> Wales international rugby union footballer

Joshua Turnbull is a Welsh former professional rugby union player, who played in the back row and second row. He played for the Scarlets and Cardiff Rugby in the United Rugby Championship, and at club level for Carmarthen Quins, Llanelli and Llandovery. He played internationally for Wales at under-16, under-18, under-19 and under-20 levels, and earned 13 caps for the senior team between 2011 and 2022. Born in Haverfordwest, he is a fluent Welsh speaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Cole (rugby union)</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Daniel Richard Cole is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers and the England national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leigh Halfpenny</span> Wales and British Lions international rugby union player

Stephen Leigh Halfpenny is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a fullback or wing for the Crusaders in Super Rugby. Halfpenny is the third highest points scorer for Wales after Neil Jenkins and Stephen Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia</span> Rugby union tour in June and July 2013

The 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia was a rugby union tour during June and July 2013. The British & Irish Lions played ten matches - a three-test series against Australia, and matches against the five Australian Super Rugby sides, a Combined New South Wales–Queensland Country team, and a match en route to Australia against the Barbarians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taulupe Faletau</span> Wales and British Lions international rugby union player

Tangaki Taulupe Faletau, commonly known as Toby Faletau but professionally as Taulupe Faletau, is a Welsh professional rugby union player for Cardiff Rugby in the United Rugby Championship and has represented the Wales national team for over 10 years. The back row forward played for Cross Keys RFC, Newport RFC and Newport Gwent Dragons in Wales before joining Bath in England in 2016. He joined present club Cardiff in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Tipuric</span> British Lions & Wales international rugby union footballer

Justin Tipuric is a former Welsh international rugby union player who played for Wales as an openside flanker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mako Vunipola</span> British Lions & England international rugby union player

Mako Vunipola is a professional rugby union player who plays as a loosehead prop for English club Saracens and the England national team. Born in New Zealand to Tongan parents, he qualified for England through residency having lived and been educated in Wales and then England since the age of 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jac Morgan</span> Welsh rugby union player

Jac Morgan is a Welsh rugby union player, who plays in the backrow for the Ospreys and Wales. He is the current captain of the Wales national rugby union team.

References

  1. 1 2 "Wales Senior Squad". www.wru.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "Lions 2013: Jonny Wilkinson out but Sam Warburton is captain". BBC Sport. April 2013.
  3. ↑ Hayward, Paul (19 April 2017). "Sam Warburton on Lions captaincy call: I thought it was one of the lads playing a prank". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  4. ↑ "Sam Warburton: Wales and British & Irish Lions captain retires from rugby". BBC Sport. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "'British' Wales star Sam Warburton sparks political row". BBC News. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Ben Warburton: Twin trouble but little jealousy". The Independent . 13 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "Sam Warburton, Wales ferocious captain, is a home boy at heart". The Daily Telegraph. 27 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "Pride at Cardiff school that developed Sam Warburton and Gareth Bale". The Guardian . 13 October 2011.
  9. ↑ "Old pal Bale drives Warburton on to wear Wales red". South Wales Echo . 22 May 2009.
  10. ↑ "Feature: Sam Warburton's journey from Rhiwbina to the Wales captaincy". Western Mail . 4 February 2012.
  11. ↑ Cathy Owen (8 July 2014). "First picture appears of rugby star on his wedding day". Western Mail . Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  12. ↑ "Match Details: 2007 IRB Under 19 World Championship, Ireland – Div A – 1st v 4th". International Rugby Board. Archived from the original on 17 May 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  13. ↑ "Match Details: 2008 IRB Junior World Championship, Wales – Semi Finals". International Rugby Board. Archived from the original on 2 July 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  14. ↑ "Wales 2010 Six Nations Squad". BBC News. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  15. ↑ "Italy 16–24 Wales". BBC Sport. 26 February 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  16. ↑ "Sam Warburton leads Wales in New Zealand". BBC Sport. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  17. ↑ "Player of Pool D: Sam Warburton". Official Rugby World Cup Site. 4 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011.
  18. ↑ "As It Happened: Wales 8–9 France". RTÉ Sport. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  19. ↑ "Rugby World Cup 2011: Sam Warburton banned for three weeks". BBC Sport. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  20. ↑ "Warburton revels in Triple Crown". BBC Sport.
  21. ↑ "Wales skipper Sam Warburton speaks of his "guilt" at half time injury substitution". Wales Online. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  22. ↑ "Sam Warburton fits bill in back row and as the captain". The Guardian. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  23. ↑ "Australia 16-15 British and Irish Lions". BBC Sport.
  24. ↑ "Lions 2017 squad announcement: Warburton captain, no place for Hartley – as it happened". The Guardian. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  25. ↑ "Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Statsguru - Player analysis - Sam Warburton - Test matches".
  26. ↑ Paul Rees (23 May 2010). "Cardiff Blues seize on Jonny Wilkinson injury to overcome Toulon". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  27. ↑ "Wales rugby star Sam Warburton given honorary fellowship". BBC News. 16 December 2013.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Wales captain
2011–2017		Succeeded by
Preceded by British & Irish Lions captain
2013, 2017		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.