Warburton to lead Dragons Down Under
Wales caretaker coach Rob Howley has revealed that inspirational skipper Sam Warburton will be fit to lead the Grand Slam winners on their tour of Australia in June.
The former Wales scrumhalf has stepped up in the absence of Kiwi mentor Warren Gatland who injured himself badly in a personal accident recently, and he said that having Warburton back from injury will be a massive boost for his side as they look to avenge their loss to the Wallabies in the third/fourth place play-off at the World Cup last year.
He commented: “Sam’s captaincy credentials are there for everyone to see, we saw his worth in the World Cup leading us to a semifinal and in leading us to a clean sweep at this year’s Six Nations championship, so it is a major boost for us to hear he will be back from injury and ready for Australia.”
Wales will take on the Barbarians at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on June 2 before they jet off down under and Howley said that the demanding schedule will present a major challenge for his side.
“The tour needs some careful planning, we have two games in seven days in two different hemispheres. The clash with the Barbarians in Cardiff kicks everything off and when we get to Australia we have three Test matches and a midweek game,” said the caretaker coach.
Howley is set to name his summer training squad on Monday, May 14, but he has already revealed that there will be a place for veteran loose forward Martyn Williams who currently has 99 Test caps.
Williams is likely to be asked to make an impact against the Barbarians from the bench, as his illustrious career turns full circle in a repeat of the fixture which saw him make his international debut in 1996.
With Wales’ first Test on Australian soil coming just seven days after the warm-up fixture in Cardiff, Howley says a number of key players must be sent down under to acclimatise before the Barbarians arrive in town, which has freed up some space to include Williams in the squad.
Howley dismissed concerns that Williams’ selection is an emotional one and explained that the opportunity to boost his squad for the Barbarians game with the experience of Williams is one that was too tempting to miss, as his captain, Warburton, is likely to be one of those on the early flight to the southern hemisphere.
“We have taken the decision to ask Martyn to come in and do a job for us for sound rugby reasons,” said Howley. “We need to start off the summer with a win against the BaaBaas, but it is also fitting that he will have the chance to run out in front of a Millennium Stadium crowd one last time to say goodbye.”
Williams, who will become only the third Welsh player to reach a century of caps alongside Gareth Thomas (100) and Stephen Jones (104), has announced his retirement from regional rugby and has already played his last match for Cardiff Blues.
He lines up against another retiring legend in Shane Williams, who is also most likely featuring for the final time in a Test match at the Millennium Stadium, and fellow centurion Jones, with the trio bidding against each other to steal the show.
“Martyn is the ultimate professional, he will be a proud man on the day, but once the whistle goes he will be one of fifteen players looking for victory and he will do the jersey proud, just as he has done 99 times before,” said Howley.
