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Gatland's tribute to Warburton

Warren Gatland has paid tribute to skipper Sam Warburton, as the Wales flank gets set to lead his country for a record-breaking 34th time this weekend.

The 26-year-old equalled Ryan Jones' record during Wales' Six Nations victory over France last time out and is set to surpass the record when his side take on Ireland on Saturday.

And Gatland wants his troops to give Warburton the perfect present by beating the Irish at the Millennium Stadium

"It's a fantastic achievement in professional sport and in rugby in particular, which is such an attritional game," said Gatland.

"Sam has had some injuries in the past but he's been able to keep his body together pretty well at the moment and it's just a fantastic achievement.

Gatland's tribute to Warburton"Surpassing someone like Ryan – who did a fantastic job for us when he was captain – it's such a great accolade for Sam.

"And we hope we can reward that achievement with a good performance and a win on Saturday."

However, while the spotlight might be on Warburton this weekend, the man himself says winning the match is his only concern.

"I'd rather take a win on Saturday but I don't think I can enjoy it until after the game and I probably won't look back on that landmark and appreciate it because I'm so focused on getting the job done.

"I haven't really thought about it because I always put the team first and all my energy will be on the Championship instead of on records."

Source: @rbs_6_nations

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