Rugby World Cup 2015: Is Sam Warburton worried after Wales' injury blows? Is he heck

Loss of Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb is a disaster in some eyes, but the captain insists his team are well-placed

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Wales captain is still bullish despite injury blows and is delighted to welcome Mike Phillips back into the squad Photo: Rex Features

By Tom Cary

12:00AM BST 10 Sep 2015

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On the wall of his parents’ house in South Wales hangs – surprisingly, some might feel – Sam Warburton’s jersey from the semi-final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Warburton could have been forgiven for burning that jersey, along with anything else that might remind him of that night in Auckland. Referee Alain Rolland’s hugely controversial decision, just 17 minutes into the match with France, to issue a red card to Wales’s captain for a tip tackle on Vincent Clerc, almost certainly cost the Welsh side a shot at New Zealand in the final.

Sam Warburton's parents wanted to have a photo of the 'tip-tackle' on their wall

Warburton, though, is not bitter. He prefers to remember the evening for more positive reasons; for having led Wales out at what was only their second World Cup semi-final.

“It sounds bad,” Warburton says, “but I remember thinking, ‘This is going to be an historic jersey’ so I got the whole squad to sign it. Not because I was proud of getting sent off but because it was a semi-final jersey. How many people can say they have led their country out in a semi-final? Only one other Welshman.”

It has not always been easy to focus on the positives, Warburton admits. “I gave the jersey to my parents because I thought they would like it and they were over there watching me play that game,” he recalls. “And they asked, ‘Do you mind if we put a picture of you with the tip tackle on it?’ I said, ‘No! I don’t want to come into the house every day and see me dump tackling Vincent Clerc!’ I said, ‘You can put up a picture of me leading the boys out.” Warburton shakes his head and laughs.

His positive mindset has been much needed in the Wales camp this week. Confirmation that Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb had been ruled out of the tournament with injuries hit the nation hard, with recriminations over the decision of Warren Gatland, the head coach, to field

them in the final warm-up game and worries over whether the country had sufficient strength in depth to absorb their losses.

Halfpenny suffered a serious knee injury against Italy

Warburton, as ever, does not dwell on the negatives. He acknowledges how much Wales will miss two such influential players – particularly Halfpenny and his goal-kicking – but stresses that it opens the door for others.

In fact, he makes a half-decent case that Wales might actually be able to turn a negative into a positive; from Liam Williams’s return to fitness and the starting line-up at full-back (“a real attacking threat and great under the high ball”) to Mike Phillips’s return to the squad after his initial jettisoning, a turn of events that Warburton feels could have a huge impact on the entire group.

“If I had to name the one player I missed playing with most, out of any player I’ve ever played with, Mike Phillips would be up there,” Warburton enthuses of the veteran of 94 Test caps as well as five for the British and Irish Lions.

“Defensively he is probably the best nine in the world. When Mike is there I know the No 8 is not getting past him. It’s nice to know that I can scrummage more and not worry about chasing too hard.”

Phillips may lack the spark and zip that, in his pomp, made him one of the finest players in world rugby, the 2009 Lions Tour to South Africa probably being the high point. But Warburton – speaking on behalf of sponsors Duracell, who have, together with Opta Sports, devised a system of ranking players’ power and endurance during World Cup matches – insists that any suggestion the 33-year-old has lost his pace or fitness is misguided.

“People used to say the No 7s are the fittest players in the team but now it is the No 9 in every squad I’ve been in. Especially when you look at the game now, they have to get to every ruck,” Warburton, 27, says. “Sometimes in training they ask me to run as a nine for six phases of play and even when you’re not making any breaks, just passing, it’s so tough.

“When Mike is doing fitness tests he’s up there with the rest, so it wasn’t a fitness reason for not picking him. He’s quick enough around the field. He’s also got that experience as well.”

Rhys Webb was also injured

As adept at winding the opposition up as he is at bringing them down? Warburton nods. “We have a list of Philsy-isms in the squad – all the things he has come out with on the pitch to opponents – they’re brilliant. Obviously you pick and choose – you’re not going to sledge Bakkies Botha. But it’s great to play with Mike because you can pick on certain players who do get hot-headed.

“Honestly, he is so popular with the boys. And I think now coming back, after not getting selected for the squad ... I mean, he knows this is his last World Cup, he is not going to be around when he is 37.

Mike Phillips is 'so popular with the boys'  Photo: REX

“It has probably given him a chance to appreciate what he has got. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do. I imagine he will throw everything into this and yeah, he could turn into a huge player for us.”

Warburton is less convincing on the subject of Wales’s backup goal kicker in case of an injury to Dan Biggar, now the first choice in the absence of Halfpenny. “Toby [Faletau] is an outsider,” he jokes. “He is always kicking after training. Him and Tips [Justin Tipuric] have a kicking club. Tips is probably better. There is not much he can’t do. It depends if Rhys Priestland plays full-back, I guess. He is an option. And I have seen Matthew Morgan place kick in training. But Dan Biggar and Priestland I guess are the two main place kickers.”

The fact that their captain is in such good spirits after the week Wales have had will be a relief to their fans. Crisis? What crisis?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/wales/11854963/Rugby-World-Cup-2015-Is-Sam-Warburton-worried-after-Wales-injury-blows-Is-he-heck.html