 Warburton at the 2012 Grand Slam celebrations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Sam Kennedy Warburton (1988-10-05)5 October 1988 (age 37) Cardiff, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 15 st 8 lb (99 kg)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Whitchurch High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sam Kennedy WarburtonOBE MStJ (born 5 October 1988),[2] is aWelsh former internationalrugby union player. Warburton played rugby forCardiff Rugby and was first capped forWales in 2009. He usually played as anopenside flanker but was also capable of playing at blindside.
In June 2011, Warburton captained Wales versus theBarbarians and, in August 2011, was named Wales captain for the2011 Rugby World Cup. In April 2013, he was chosen to be the Lions' captain for the2013 tour to Australia and became captain for the2017 Lions tour to New Zealand.[3][4] Warburton holds the record for the most Wales caps as captain (49).
In July 2018, Warburton announced his retirement from rugby union at 29 years of age after failing to recover fully from neck and back surgery.[5]
Warburton founded the online fitness app SW7 Academy in 2019.[6]
Warburton was born in Wales toEnglish parents and he considers himselfWelsh andBritish.[7] He has an elder twin brother, Ben, who played atsemi-professional level withGlamorgan Wanderers RFC and is now a physiotherapist for theScarlets, and an older sister Holly, a schoolteacher. Their great-grandfather,George Reed, was a professional footballer who played 150 times forLeeds United in the 1920s and 1930s.[8][9] He attendedWhitchurch High School and left with threeA Levels.[8]
As a youngster Warburton was a keen football player and played for his school team alongside schoolmateReal Madrid andWales forwardGareth Bale.[10][11] He had a trial with local clubCardiff City at the age of 14 but chose to concentrate on rugby instead. He played on the junior teams ofRhiwbina RFC and played forGlamorgan Wanderers RFC whilst a member of theCardiff Rugby Academy.[12]
On 5 July 2014, Warburton married long term partner Rachel Thomas in a church ceremony in Newport, before the couple held a reception at theCeltic Manor Resort.[13] He is a supporter ofTottenham Hotspur FC.
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 atunder-19 andunder-20 level.[14][15] Warburton made his debut for the seniorWales national team against theUnited States on 6 June 2009.
On 18 January 2010, Warburton was named in the 35-man Wales squad for the2010 Six Nations.[16] He scored his first international try against Italy in the2011 Six Nations.[17] Warburton captained Wales for the first time against theBarbarians on 4 June 2011 at the age of 22 years and 242 days becoming Wales' second-youngest captain afterGareth 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 the2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in the absence of the injuredMatthew Rees.[18]
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/dealing with a string of injuries). While Wales lost 17–16, Warburton won man of the match, forcing five turnovers. Despite Warburton's efforts, Brüssow's counter-rucking allowed the Springboks to win possession from the Welsh in the final seconds of the game, allowingFourie 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.[19]
Wales then met Ireland in the quarter-final as Warburton faced the in-form Irish openside flankerSeán 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 thesecond Wales player to receive a red card in a World Cup when he was sent off after 18 minutes by the Irish refereeAlain Rolland for a dangerous tackle onVincent Clerc.[20] 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.[21] Despite the sending off, theGuardian newspaper, Brynmor Williams and SirIan McGeechan, the Lions coach, named him player of the tournament.[citation needed]
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 onManu 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.[22] Clive Woodward considered his performance "the most outstanding performance I have ever seen from a Lion".[23] 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.[24] The injury he sustained would rule him out for six weeks, returning in time for the Lions tour of Australia in June 2013.
Warburton surpassed the record of 33 caps as Wales captain held byRyan Jones against Ireland on 14 March 2015.
Warburton was named as captain of a 37-man squad for the2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, making him the youngest everLions captain at the age of 24.[25] Warburton was selected as captain in the first test in Brisbane, combining in the back row withTom Croft andJamie 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.[26] However, the hamstring injury he picked up in the second test meant Warburton was ruled out of the final, deciding test, withAlun 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 theTom Richards Cup together.
In April 2017, Warburton was selected by Warren Gatland to captain the Lions for the2017 tour to New Zealand.[27]
| Try | Opponent | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Italy | Rome, Italy | Stadio Olimpico | 2011 Six Nations | 26 February 2011 | Win |
| 2 |  Fiji | Hamilton, New Zealand | Waikato Stadium | 2011 Rugby World Cup | 2 October 2011 | Win |
| 3 |  France | Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | 2014 Six Nations | 21 February 2014 | Win |
| 4 | Italy | Rome, Italy | Stadio Olimpico | 2015 Six Nations | 21 March 2015 | Win |
| 5 |  Japan | Cardiff, Wales | Millennium Stadium | 2016 Autumn Internationals | 19 November 2016 | Win |
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Warburton was awardedHonorary Fellowship by theUniversity of South Wales in 2013.[32]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Wales captain 2011–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | British & Irish Lions captain 2013, 2017 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
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