All hail the Lions King
Welsh wizard Warburton thrilled to captain touring side and can’t wait to get off to a winning start in Hong Kong
It was not quite as dramatic as a princess walking up a rickety ladder and coming down a queen overnight, but when Sam Warburton flew down the staircase he had walked up just minutes before at his parents' home in Cardiff two Sundays ago, he had turned from commoner to king - of the British & Irish Lions.
Warburton, who was named as Lions captain for the tour of Hong Kong and Australia on Tuesday, revealed he had stayed true to the trust placed in him by head coach Warren Gatland to keep his captaincy a secret until the official announcement of the 37-man squad to all and sundry bar three people "closest to me", his fiancée Rachel and his parents.
"I heard the phone ring upstairs and I knew it could be a call from Warren. I ran upstairs, but missed it. I called back and was told the amazing news. It is an unbelievable honour. I was told to keep it secret, which I did for nine to 10 days and was the hardest thing I did - I have a lot of angry friends now - but I had to tell those people closest to me, who I knew I could trust," Warburton told the Sunday Morning Post.
Rachel was the first to know, followed by his parents, that he would be the youngest captain to lead the Lions in 58 years - Warburton will be 24 years and 244 days old when he leads the Lions out to meet the Barbarians at Hong Kong Stadium on June 1 - the previous youngest being Robin Thompson of Ireland in 1955 (24 years 48 days).
Warburton becomes the 28th captain of the Lions and only the fourth Welshman to lead the composite side which also includes players from England, Ireland and Scotland. He has massive footsteps to follow, but has already thrown down the gauntlet, saying he wants the class of 2013 to become known as the 100 per cent Lions, which means winning all 10 matches on tour, including three tests against the Wallabies.
"I was having a chat with manager Andy Irvine and we were talking of past tours. Andy told me there was only one Lions side who came close to winning all their games on tour, losing only one match. I'm the ultimate optimist and I want to go out and win every match," said the openside flanker. "Undoubtedly, it will be tough. But this is the standard we want to reach. I have been through some pretty tough times in the past, the last World Cup campaign with Wales was one, but I believe this will be the toughest challenge I will face and I'm looking forward to it with relish."