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Warburton desperate to play in Lions opener

British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton

British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton has outlined his eagerness to taste immediate match action on the tour of New Zealand, after being made to wait on the 2013 tour.

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Warburton did not feature until the third match when the Lions visited Australia four years ago, after sustaining a knee injury in training.

Although the Wales flanker again suffered from a knee problem in the lead-up to this year’s tour, he declared himself fully fit last week and is determined to lead Warren Gatland’s side in Saturday’s opening match against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians.

While some players were forced to link up with the Lions late due to club commitments, Warburton spent plenty of time in camp ahead of the squad’s departure.

Following the Lions’ arrival in Auckland on Wednesday, Warburton said: “We’ve got a meeting tonight, which I presume is going to be squad selection, so I presume a lot of the guys who have been involved for the past two and a half weeks will make up the majority of the team, but we find out tonight for sure.”

Asked if he had requested to play in game one, he added: “That’s what I’m hoping is going to happen this time around.

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“I think I’ve obviously got a good chance as I’ve been in the camp for the last two and a half weeks, but that’s what frustrated me four years ago. I think I played the third game on tour, I was the last guy in that squad to play a game and I was pretty jealous.

“I’d see the boys’ red jerseys coming back in the laundry nice and clean and they’d actually got the Lions jersey. You just want to get that Lions jersey in your kit bag and actually say you’d played for the Lions on this tour, so obviously I’m desperate to be involved in that first game.”

Saturday’s fixture against the Provincial Barbarians is the first of 10 matches on a gruelling tour for the Lions, with the first Test against the All Blacks taking place on June 24.

“It’s great that we’re actually here and the tour’s underway. And the good thing is when the first game gets under way on Saturday, they start coming through thick and fast then,” said Warburton.

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“It’s just nice to get that first game under your belt and then you can crack on. What’s nice is you don’t actually have a lot of time to think about the games coming up, like you would in a normal international week. You actually enjoy these games a bit more because they come so quick.”

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Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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