Sam Warburton offers an exclusive look ahead to the Autumn Internationals with Sky Sports

In the summer of 2013 Gareth Bale became the most expensive player in world football following his record-breaking move from Tottenham to Real Madrid. In the summer of 2014 Sam Warburton’s future was the most debated topic in the rugby fraternity. Two classmates scaling unprecedented heights.

“We went to school together for about five years and it was a bit strange watching him play in Tottenham colours for a while, but he’s a great guy and it’s good to see him doing so well,” said Warburton as he reflected on their time at Cardiff’s Whitchurch High School.

Bale or no Bale, Warburton is an avid Spurs fan –  following his father’s lead –  and celebrated turning 26 by going to watch his beloved Tottenham beat Southampton.

“I went up to White Hart Lane and watched Tottenham win 1-0 which was a very good birthday present indeed,” he said with delight, before attention turns to the forthcoming Autumn International series.

With the 2015 Rugby World Cup now less than 12 months away, Wales will gauge their standing in the world order by taking on pool rivals Australia at the Millennium Stadium before clashes with Fiji, world champions New Zealand and South Africa in successive weeks.

It a series which comes a pivotal time for Welsh rugby, you sense, following a 2-0 reverse to South Africa in the summer amid the turmoil of a ‘civil war’ which engulfed the national sport. Divides on the issues of central contracts, players’ wages, club payments and international availability created a rift between the national side and the four Welsh region.

Eventually, after much jostling and debating, the Participation Agreement was signed and Warburton became Warren Gatland’s first centrally contracted player with the Welsh Rugby Union. Flanker Warburton did not feature on Wales’ summer tour of South Africa after opting to undergo reconstructive surgery on his shoulder, a move he believes has made him stronger than ever.

“I was always having issues with my shoulder over the past three or four years and it just got to a place where I thought, ‘I just need a shoulder op to sort all this out’,” he recalled. “It came as a bit of a blessing in disguise because I’ve had the op and sorted my shoulders – now they feel great and from a strength and power perspective my upper body is back to its best.

“I have always struggled to get there over the past few years because of these niggly shoulder problems so to get sorted now is great and they feel the best they have since I was a teenager. Some players can be really upset and get really down about being injured and long lay-offs, but I realise that is part of the game sometimes, especially in the position I play.

“My body is not always durable and a break every now and then can be a good thing, you can’t play 30 games a year for 10 years running, you have to accept that you will have breaks. You’d be very hard pressed to find a player that started when I did and had a 10-year career without an injury lay-off of some kind, it just doesn’t happen anymore with the nature of the game.

“Now I can come back and play with no worries over injections in my shoulder because they’re great now.”

As well as eradicating the shoulder problems which have hampered him for so long, Warburton used his summer off to wed long term partner Rachel Thomas on July 5 – a date he takes pride in correctly recalling.

Warburton returns from his time out of the game refreshed and rejuvenated, yet although it may have appeared a turbulent summer for the Welsh camp, he cannot see any of his international colleagues being affected by the off-field affairs.

Undeterred

“I haven’t been in a Wales camp since March for the Six Nations, but all this stuff which goes on off the field doesn’t bother the players as long as they’re playing for their clubs and getting rugby week in, week out,” he insisted.

“We’re just focussed on rugby. Everything else that goes off is out of our control really. All the boys always get on really well; it’s always a happy and confident camp when we get together so there will be no qualms there.”

After appearing to be heading into the new season with no contract in place, Warburton was relieved to hear that he would be resuming as a Cardiff Blue and has been relishing the opportunity to build up game time with his beloved region.

“Personally, I think it’s gone really well. I have enjoyed playing again, I’ve managed to get games under my belt and it’s just great to be back playing again.

“My shoulder is feeling really good after the operation and obviously I’m really pleased that everything has worked out with Cardiff Blues because that’s the club I’ve always wanted to play for; all in all it’s been a great start to the season.

You only have to look at his record really. What we’ve won, three Six Nations championships and to go away and win a Lions series as well and in the northern hemisphere he’s done everything and the individual achievements he’s won as well are just outstanding.

“To get a good amount of games under my belt and a good bit of continuity as well is great for match fitness and awareness at the breakdown. I find it hard to come back and just play one or two games, to get back to your best you need a good run of games and I’m getting that which is something I really.”

One of the primary driving factors behind the implementation of the Participation Agreement was to thwart the Welsh exodus which has seen a host of the country’s most talent players flee to ply their trade in the French Top 14 and English Aviva Premiership.

Speculation has been rife regarding the future of several Wales internationals based in France - most notably Racing Metro Paris duo Jamie Roberts and Luke Charteris – and while not banking on an immediate U-turn from everyone, Warburton does expect the allure of central contracts to draw players home.

“Jonny [Davies] and Leigh [Halfpenny] have got contracts they will want to see out, but I think Warren has made it really clear that players from now on who choose to move away may jeopardise their international career,” he said.

“That alone will help players play in Wales, but if players are playing away and they’re playing top flight rugby - whether that be in France or Ireland - and reaching the latter stages of the Champions Cup then at least they’re being exposed to a top-quality brand of rugby.

“As a national team you can’t really complain, as long as you have guys playing week in, week out in top flight rugby and they’re available for international selection and training camps then it’s all good.

“I imagine players may eventually move back because most probably go over there with the short-term view of experiencing somewhere abroad for a few years and then come back having developed yourself as a person and a player. Others may choose to stay out there because that’s their motivation and that’s what they want to do.

“Time will tell, but hopefully the Participation Agreement will help to bring some players back to Wales.”

Sam Warburton is supporting GUINNESS' 'Made of More' campaign in which celebrates the Wales winger Shane Williams' determination to prove people wrong after he was told he was too small to make it in rugby.

So candid and sincere is Warburton in conversation it is easy to see how he became the youngest British and Irish Lions captain in 2013 and how he has become a talisman for Wales, but records aside, it is his humility and strive for continual improvement that speaks volumes.  

“Outside of campaigns I would never call myself Wales captain,” he insisted. “Whoever is picked as captain, whether it is Alun-Wyn like in the summer or myself as it was in the Six Nations, I go into this series wanting to excel in my position like everyone else.

“I don’t really know what the plan is going forward from a captaincy or leadership perspective, but as we continue to go forward we will see how that unfolds.”

There is a clear reverence between captain and coach, with Warburton holding a profound respect for New Zealander Gatland.

“You only have to look at his record really,” he said. “What we’ve won, three Six Nations championships and to go away and win a Lions series as well and in the northern hemisphere he’s done everything and the individual achievements he’s won as well are just outstanding.

“He’s been fantastic for Wales, he’s unearthed some young gems, he’s put faith in all the young guys who have come through and he’s brought the best out of the senior players too.

“He works great with the younger guys while getting the best out of his senior players too so he is a great guy to have around.”

Warburton is Gatland’s go-to man and the Cardiff Blues back row will lead Wales out of the Millennium Stadium tunnel on November 8 for an eagerly-anticipated clash with Australia.

It will be the final meeting between the sides before a 2015 Rugby World Cup pool stage clash and Warburton understands the importance of gaining an edge on the Wallabies.

“It’s not the be-all and end-all,” he admitted. “But it would be a massive psychological advantage if you can beat them and then knowing the next time you run onto the field that you beat them last time.

“That would be a big psychological advantage and I’m sure it will be spoken about, but I don’t think it will be the main motivation for the game.

“The main motivation for the autumn series is to make sure you get a win against a southern hemisphere team, just so we can move forward as a squad.

“From a World Cup perspective obviously it would be a nice added bonus to get that win going into the group stages.”

Wales united

He added: “When the boys get together as a squad two weeks before the first game, all we can focus on is individual form really in the present and in the back of everyone’s mind is form and injuries because you want to make that World Cup squad.

“I don’t think the main focus will be on the World Cup, we’ve still got a massive autumn series and the Six Nations up for grabs over the next six months. I know the World Cup will be spoken about for sure, but I don’t think that will be our main motivation.”

As well as facing a rejuvenated Australia, who announced their arrival in Europe with a 40-36 victory against the Barbarians in Michael Cheika’s first game as head coach, Wales must pit their wits against the world’s top two sides with world champions New Zealand and South Africa also making the trip to Cardiff.

“I always love the autumn series,” Warburton exclaimed. “It’s great when the big three teams come up from the southern hemisphere.

I think what the home crowd does more than anything is stir the home team, that is certainly what it does for the Welsh lads and it’s awesome when you line up to kick off, the noise is incredible. They make the atmosphere brilliant and from a player’s perspective that really helps on the pitch so it’s always great to play at the Millennium Stadium.

“It’s a great opportunity as a player, it’s tough because you’ve four weekends of rugby on the bounce, which is something we’re not always used to. With the Six Nations you get a two-week gap so you’ve got five games in the space of seven or eight weeks, but this is very physically demanding.

“To have the opportunity to play against those teams at home is brilliant, the fans absolutely love it and no doubt all three matches will be sell-outs.

“I always love it; I just love the autumn series. Very rarely do you get to play in the Millennium Stadium four weekends in a row, you don’t get that in any other series and that’s why the autumn series is so special.”

Any up-and-coming Welsh rugby player dreams of gracing the Millennium Stadium turf – albeit now a hi-tech hybrid surface – and it is now different for Warburton, who still gets shivers at the roar of the fervent home support.  

“The crowd does spur you on massively,” he claimed. “I’ve always thought this; when you play away or particularly when a team comes to play in Cardiff, I don’t think the home crowd would stop the other team playing or force them to go into their shell, they’ll love that atmosphere, most players know it’s a fantastic place to play.

“I think what the home crowd does more than anything is stir the home team, that is certainly what it does for the Welsh lads and it’s awesome when you line up to kick off, the noise is incredible. The WRU do such a great job and always make a good show when it comes to our home games, there’s plenty of entertainment and everybody goes away happy win, lose or draw so it’s absolutely brilliant.

“They make the atmosphere brilliant and from a player’s perspective that really helps on the pitch so it’s always great to play at the Millennium Stadium.”

Sam Warburton is an Ambassador for GUINNESS. To view GUINNESS' new 'Made of More' campaign, celebrating the character and integrity of some of rugby's greatest heroes, visit www.youtube.com/GUINNESSEurope.