Jeremy Guscott: A reborn Warburton can still make big Lions contribution

There are not many who have achieved what Sam Warburton has in the game, and even fewer who have done it by the time they were 28. He has captained the Lions to a series victory (2013), and Wales to a Grand Slam (2012) during an international career in which he has already won 69 caps, with a record 49 of them as captain.
That is why I see it as an amazing decision for him to stand down as Wales captain, and especially as the last captain of the Lions in a year when they are touring again. I cannot recall the last time there was a change of captain at international level when there was no change of coaching regime.
It’s not clear where the initiative came from – but if it reflects the decision of the player, then it tells you a lot about Warburton’s state of mind. By the same token, if it was the coach – in this case, caretaker Rob Howley in consultation with Warren Gatland – then you can only assume it was a decision to relieve pressure on Warburton.
If it was Warburton’s decision to stand down as Wales captain, it is an enormous step to take, and a curious one. With captaincy comes responsibility and prestige, and although Gatland will not cross him off the list as 2017 Lions captain, it will probably weaken his position with the head coach.
However, it’s what Warburton thinks that’s important. If he believes his Wales captaincy days have run their course – and that stepping down will help him to focus on winning a Wales and Lions shirt at 6 or 7, then it is his judgment call to make.
Whether you are talking openside or blindside flanker, Warburton faces serious competition for a Wales starting shirt during this Six Nations. Ross Moriarty has made a big impression over the past year, and he brings real purpose and energy at blindside whether in defence or carrying.
At openside he faces his old rival Justin Tipuric, who signed off on a high note in the win over South Africa in the autumn, and has been instrumental in helping the Ospreys to the top of the PRO12. If Warburton is in good nick with Cardiff Blues it will help his chances, but Tipuric has played much more rugby for the Ospreys this season than Sam has for Cardiff.
Warburton is a workaholic, and has been in great shape, but he seems to have been very injury-prone since the 2013 Lions tour. He has struggled for match fitness and match hardness since then, and I’m hoping he will be reborn during this Six Nations campaign.
He’s not only been a good captain for Wales and the Lions, but in the main has performed pretty well – and has at times been inspirational, such as the try-saving low tackle on Manu Tuilagi which helped Wales beat England (19 -12) to win the Triple Crown and Slam in 2012.
It’s been said with Warburton that if he gets a good turnover early on he usually goes on to have a big performance. A few seasons back when he was compared in The Rugby Paper to Richie McCaw and David Pocock, however, they were ahead of him in terms not only of turnovers but influence.
Warburton was a little reluctant regarding the captaincy when he was first given it back in 2011, but any good leader will put the team before himself, and by taking the job he showed he was prepared to do that.
There were a lot of young, talented Welsh players coming through together at that time, and Warburton was their figurehead. It must have been very exciting, and even after Wales went out of the 2011 World Cup after Warburton was sent off controversially in the semi-final against France, they were one of the most impressive teams in the world – and one that was given a good chance of making an even stronger bid to become world champions in 2015.
That didn’t work out, but even so you sense there is a selflessness about Warburton to the degree that maybe he is being generous and thinking that at 28 he might not be around to be compete at the 2019 World Cup at the level that he wants to. When you hear Sam speak he is very genuine about his feelings, and about those within the team, and that honesty has earned him many admirers.
Warburton’s heroes include Martyn Williams, his predecessor in the Wales No.7 jersey. The 100-cap ‘Nugget’ was a superb, naturally-gifted openside, in its quintessential role as a link between forwards and backs, whereas Warburton has always been a strong carrier and tackler. However, his trademark when he was younger was as a jackaling over-the-ball 7 – but that seems to have dropped off a bit recently.
To stand any chance of making the 2017 Lions squad, as either a 6 or 7, Warburton has his work cut out. Four years ago the Lions took seven back-row forwards to Australia, and if that selection policy is followed again, with Billy Vunipola and Toby Faletau as No.8s, there are five flanker places.
That means huge competition, with Sean O’Brien,  James Haskell,  Josh van der Flier, Peter O’Mahony, Tipuric, Moriarty, and even Maro Itoje (at blindside) among the front runners in the race. In 2013 Warburton was most people’s first-choice openside flanker, but four years later that’s changed.
He still stands a chance of being picked by the Lions, mainly because of his versatility in being able to play both the 6 and 7 roles. But first Warburton has to force his way into the Wales match 23 and leave his mark on the 2017 Six Nations.
You want – and need – experience on a Lions tour, and you have to take New Zealand on in the back row. Sam Warburton has achieved a huge amount as a Test flanker, and whether or not he makes the Test team, he can still be a big influence in the tour party.