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Warburton overwhelmed by support following retirement

By Nicholas McGee
Sam Warburton playing for Wales in the Six Nations

Sam Warburton has been overwhelmed by the support following his surprise retirement from rugby.

Warburton brought an end to his time in the sport on Wednesday, surprisingly hanging up his boots having previously been expected to return from injury and join Cardiff Blues for pre-season training.

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The flanker had been recovering from neck and knee surgery following his last international appearance against New Zealand in June 2017 but was not confident he could rediscover his best form.

Warburton was capped 74 times by Wales and captained his country on a record 49 occasions, leading them to a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2012.

He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2013 series win over Australia and the 2017 drawn series with world champions New Zealand.

The 29-year-old wrote on Twitter: “Never in a million years expected this much support. I cannot put into words how much it means to me.

“Reading all the lovely messages has been genuinely overwhelming. It’s been an emotional 24hrs, but confirms that the rugby family we are in is amazing.”

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Bull Shark 43 minutes 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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