Shane Williams – This won’t rule Sam out from Lions role

Sam Warburton‘s decision to give up the Wales captaincy won’t be one he’s taken lightly, but I think it’s the right time to hand the role to Alun-Wyn Jones for the Six Nations.
I still think Sam will skipper Wales again one day, and I’m sure this won’t impact on his chances of leading the Lions in New Zealand, but looking at the here and now, it’s good that Sam will be able to concentrate on starring as a player. That alone could be a huge benefit to Wales in the months ahead.
Sam missed two of the November Tests and he’ll know at the moment he’s had a few injuries which have stopped him from playing at his absolute best. His focus has to be on getting over those and finding some form as a player.
Like anyone in Wales, his first priority is to play well for his region, Cardiff Blues, and then if selected, find form with Wales. But when you get past that I can see why Sam wants to step aside as captain, for now at least. It will take a hell of a lot of pressure off him in what is a massive year and he’ll now be able to concentrate fully on what he does best – performing on the pitch.
As Wales captain there’s a lot of stuff you have to deal with. He’ll be taken away from all the politics of the Welsh Rugby Union and the Six Nations for now and can avoid the media spotlight a little more. Next week’s Six Nations squad announcement will generate plenty of headlines and I can see why that will be the case. But that said, I don’t think for one second Sam has led Wales for the last time – it’s just that it is a good time to step away right now.
I’m sure Sam will have come to the decision on his own, but he’ll have talked to Warren Gatland and Rob Howley about it. There are a lot of good sevens in Wales and Sam knows that – he’s an honest person. He knows if he doesn’t perform he won’t get the shirt and Justin Tipuric is the form player in Wales at the moment. His statistics are through the roof and that leaves Sam’s position in doubt. For me, Sam will benefit hugely from being able to focus solely on his own game.
As for the Lions, I still think Sam could end up doing that job. He’s not only hugely respected by everyone in Wales but also in the other countries in the United Kingdom. He’s got the experience of winning in Australia in 2013 and I think Warren will still be considering him for the role.
His excellent relationship with the players and referees during games is also another thing that works in his favour. And who knows, with a bit of a break in the early part of this year, Sam might be in an even better place by the summer.
Alun-Wyn is the natural man to take over and I think he’ll be an excellent fit. I was lucky enough to be captained by both him and Sam in my career and both are very good at the role, albeit in slightly different ways. Sam is a good politician with the players and Press and is really well liked by everyone in the game. He uses that to his advantage and has a great rapport with his team-mates. You want to play for a guy like Sam and while he’s not always the loudest, he leads by example and is excellent at bringing everyone together for the cause.
Alun-Wyn captains more with his heart on his sleeve but he lets his rugby do the talking and that’s the most important thing.
He never backs down on the field and when you see that, it inspires you to go to the next level. He’ll slot into the Wales role pretty easily because like Sam, he has enormous respect from all over the world. You only have to look at his performances to see he’s a world-class lock and he’s been exceptional for the Ospreys this season.
The media side of things won’t face him either as the Press know just what a good player he is.
He’s got leather skin and I don’t think Alun-Wyn will be any different as captain than he is as a player. Let’s face it, Wales are going into the Six Nations under pressure with England and Ireland leading the way and playing so well.
That could bring its own problems, but it will be water off a duck’s back to Alun-Wyn who is always calm under pressure.
It’s a big few months ahead but with Alun-Wyn as captain, both Wales and Sam can flourish. And at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing.