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The club rookie Sam Warburton is backing for Six Nations selection
Former Wales skipper Sam Warburton has tipped rookie Cardiff full-back Cameron Winnett for a call-up by Warren Gatland for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations.
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The Welsh begin their 2024 schedule with a February 3 trip to Scotland and with experienced duo Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams no longer available for selection, Warburton’s hunch is that the soon-to-be 21-year-old Winnett can make the Test squad.
It was last June when RugbyPass previously spoke with Warburton over Zoom, mentioning we were in Cape Town and about to head upstairs to interview Winnett who was in South Africa playing for Wales in the World Junior Championship.
The 2013 and 2017 British and Irish Lions captain said at the time he didn’t know much about Winnett, only what he had been told second-hand. Six months later, though, Warburton is now fabulously enthused by the youngster having seen him star in recent months for Cardiff in the URC.
Winnett made a try-scoring first-team debut as a teenager at Harlequins two years ago when the Welsh region’s squad was decimated by pandemic restrictions following an ill-fated URC trip to South Africa.
The RugbyPass Getting To Know You series at the 2023 Junior World Championship in Cape Town included Wales' Cameron Winnett, who has since become a breakthrough star in this season's URC.
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He went on to work his way through the Cardiff academy system and having played an energetic part in helping his country to a sixth-place finish at the most recent U20s World Cup, he has now become a club regular playing the full 80 minutes in all six of his URC starts this term and making a further appearance from the bench.
With Warburton now back at Cardiff as part of the club’s board, he has been able to keep a very close watch on Winnett’s accelerated development and has been very impressed by what he has seen.
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“He has been amazing for us this season,” Warburton told RugbyPass on Wednesday ahead of Cardiff’s trip to Toulouse in the opening round of this season’s Champions Cup.
“With Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams now playing in New Zealand and Japan, I think he is going to be in the Six Nations squad, you know. A really exciting player, he has been awesome.”
In what way has Winnett specifically caught the eye of Warburton? “He is a lovely balanced runner, has time. You just get these players who have time, they just don’t panic. Good kicking game, good under the high ball. Great attacking runner. Great left foot step.
“As all young players, defence is probably going to be the last thing that a full-back prioritises, that one-on-one sort of tackling which someone like Leigh Halfpenny mastered halfway through his career.
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“Other than that, an extremely good player. Just a bit of defensive stuff to tidy up but ball in hand, kicking game and just backfield understanding, positional play, he has got it. He’s just such a natural rugby player. Very, very excited about him.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Yes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
34 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to comments