Wales and Lions captain, twice unbeaten as the man wearing the red armband
RugbySam Warburton is the only man in history to have captained the British and Irish Lions on two tours and returned home without losing a series. He is also, at 25 years old, the youngest player ever to lead Wales.
Warburton came through the Cardiff Blues academy and won his first Wales cap in 2009. Two years later he was captain, appointed by Warren Gatland ahead of far more experienced men because Gatland saw in him the discipline, the work ethic, and the mature decision making of a player twice his age. Wales won the 2012 Six Nations Grand Slam in his first full campaign as captain, and followed it with three more Six Nations titles and three World Cup tournaments. In 2013 he led the Lions to their first series win in 16 years, against Australia. In 2017 he took the Lions to New Zealand and drew the series against the world champion All Blacks, the only side ever to do so in the modern era.
At openside flanker Warburton played with a precision that marked him out even among great back rows. He was a tackle technician, a breakdown specialist, and a player who read the game a full phase ahead. Injuries eventually forced him into early retirement in 2018 at the age of 29, a loss to Wales and the Lions that cannot be overstated.
Since retiring, Warburton has moved into coaching, working as a breakdown specialist with the Lions on the 2021 South Africa tour, and has become a thoughtful and in demand broadcaster and speaker. His insights into leadership, pressure, and building a dressing room are as relevant in the boardroom as on the training field.
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