British and Irish Lions: Warburton victory hopes

Captain Sam Warburton is one of eight Lions Test debutants for tomorrow's opener. Picture: Reuters

The quest to achieve a feat no Lions squad has managed since 1997 begins tomorrow against Australia at Suncorp Stadium.

Wales flanker Warburton, at 24 one of the youngest skippers in Lions history, can already count a World Cup semi-final and Six Nations Grand Slam among his career achievements.

But he admits a Lions Test series win would represent one of rugby’s most coveted prizes. “I think everybody is desperate to achieve,” he said, after being named among eight Lions Test debutants for tomorrow’s opener. “That’s the one thing which you’ll see in the body language of every player for every game, because none of us has achieved a Lions Test series win and it’s something you desperately want to have on your rugby CV.

“We’ve got Heineken Cup winners, Grand Slam winners, English Aviva Premiership winners, all these competitions, but nobody has ticked the Lions box. That is something which I think we will be pretty desperate in wanting to achieve. That’s the one thing that will be a certainty in all three matches, the players’ determination to get a result.”

Warburton was just eight years old when the likes of Neil Jenkins, Jeremy Guscott, Keith Wood and Gregor Townsend helped steer the Lions to a series-clinching success over South Africa in Durban.

But it has proved a long time between drinks, with the Lions winning just two of ten subsequent Tests played in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Warburton revealed he has not consulted any previous Lions captains on what it takes to win a Test series, adding: “Being captain this Saturday the fundamentals for me are exactly the same. Obviously the occasion is bigger, but I will treat it like I treat every other game.

“I wouldn’t change what I do now. It would be too late and I think it would be the wrong thing to do, so I will approach it like every other game. I guess I’ve been thinking about it [Lions Test captaincy] for quite a while. Since the first squad announcement I felt I had a chance to do that, as long as I played well, so I guess I’ve been thinking about how it might feel for a while now.

“But I won’t truly know until I do it. The last two games have been awesome, to lead the boys out, but I know it will be another level on Saturday.”

The Lions lost their unbeaten tour record when they came unstuck against the Brumbies in Canberra three days ago, but Warburton claims there has been no distractions for this weekend. “We spoke as players in the changing room afterwards and then focused straightaway on Saturday, which we have to,” he said. “There is no time to dwell on it, really,  because there is a four-day turnaround and some of those players will be involved again on Saturday. It didn’t go our way, but I think, if we can win the Test  series, then people won’t remember that Brumbies game.” There had been some speculation that Warburton might not secure a Test back-row place, given the fierce competition for places, but there is no question he laid down a marker with his performances against Queensland Reds and NSW Waratahs.

“I don’t ever want to become complacent and I like to go into team announcements not knowing about your place,” he said. “That’s what drives you hard at training. You want to go out on the pitch having that pressure. Most players in this Lions squad now – the highest you can go – when the pressure is piled on you, that’s when a lot of good players deliver.”