British and Irish Lions icon Sam Warburton remains the last winning Tour captain after the Welshman led the group to success in Australia in 2013 – with their wait now spanning 12 years
Lions great Sam Warburton admits he now realises how hard it is to win a Test series having watched the Lions go 12 years without a victory. It was back in 2013 in Australia that they last celebrated such a triumph – where Warburton was captain.
Warren Gatland led a group Down Under who claimed victory in a deciding Test in Sydney. That victory itself ended a run of 16 years without a series victory and Warburton, then on his first tour, now looks back on that success with his eyes opened.
He was again captain four years later when the Lions drew a remarkable series in New Zealand. Back in 2021 against South Africa, two years on from winning the Rugby World Cup, the Lions lost late on in the deciding Third Test, further adding to their wait for victory.
It has shone even more of a light on their victory over the Wallabies in 2013, which begun with a Test win in Brisbane ahead of this weekend’s opener at Suncorp Stadium. And 12 years ago Australia were in the midst of a hugely successful period, making Warburton’s and the Lions’ victory even sweeter.
The Welshman, a Canterbury ambassador, told Mirror Sport: “I’ve realised how hard a Lions victory is. 2017 didn’t win, 2021 obviously didn’t win, so you sort of look back at go ‘crikey, there’s not many tours you get victories’. So really proud that we finished that tour with a victory and you can say you’re a winning Lion. It’s never about the individual, you want to say you’re part of a winning squad.
“Back then Australia they came third in the 2011 World Cup, second in the 2015 World Cup, and we caught them in the middle of that so they were a pretty tough Australia team. So looking back, proud of the lads.”
In a bittersweet moment for Warburton he was pictured lifting the trophy and celebrating with his team-mates whilst donning a suit – not his kit. A hamstring injury had ruled him out of the deciding Test, leaving Alun Wyn Jones to step in as captain. And he concedes that you don’t quite feel the same level of achievement when you’ve not given your blood and sweat to the defining moment – which only ignited his desire to make the 2017 Tour.
“First thing after 2013, everyone’s celebrating the win, but my first thought was I’ve got to get on 2017,” confessed Warburton. “It was great, but unless you’ve gone through the weeks prep, all the emotions that go with it, then the physical effort in the game and come out the other end. It was still great, but it is sweeter when you’re there on the pitch.
“Don’t want it to sound selfish, but 2017 I was more pleased with because I contributed across all three Tests. So 2017 I sort of look back on and, personally, find was a greater achievement even though we didn’t win, and was arguably against a better team. So yeah it did feel like unfinished business.”
The Third Test in Australia, whilst remembered as a defining victory, will always be associated with the era-defining decision from Gatland to drop Brian O’Driscoll. The Irish great was overlooked for what would’ve been his final Lions outing.
Jonathan Davies paired up with the returning Jamie Roberts and that resigned O’Driscoll to a spot watching from the stands. Even captain Warburton was given no heads up, but at a time where ruthless decisions were part of everyday life it wasn’t until he returned home that he realised just how much the media had blown up.
He said: “I found out during team selection. I didn’t know, didn’t get a heads up. I’ll be honest I thought Brian would start. I thought it would be the perfect swan song. I remember thinking, ‘That’s a bit of surprise’, but Jon and Jamie are brilliant, so let’s just get on with it.
“You see cut-throat decisions all the time. The way players were dealt with in training, with selection, some of the feedback you get is pretty direct. So when you saw things like that happen it felt quite normal.”
O’Driscoll and his Ireland colleague Paul O’Connell both played crucial parts in the 2013 Series and acted as the perfect foil for Warburton, who was then only 24, but renowned for his leadership qualities. The Welshman though wasn’t determined to lead via authority.
Instead he encouraged those who had captained the Lions before – O’Driscoll in 2005 and O’Connell in 2009 – to speak up when the moments arose. Even encouraging O’Driscoll to rally the group as the Irishman urged Warburton to deliver a battlecry, only for him to insist it came from the veteran.
He said: “I always though as captain, let the others leaders lead. So in 2013, rather than be like I’m captain, I’m going to be the constant voice, I wanted Paul O’Connell and Brian O’Driscoll to talk, be vocal and drive things. You can’t supress those guys. Same in 2017, let them speak, because its good for the group to hear multiple voices.
“The art of captaincy is how can you assemble the best leadership group around you – let the other captains still be captains.”
Canterbury’s new Red Dahlia Boots, as worn by Canterbury ambassadors and Lions squad members, Mack Hansen and Andrew Porter, are available HERE.
