Sam Warburton

Sam Kennedy-Warburton (born 5 October 1988), commonly known as Sam Warburton, is a Welsh international rugby union player. Warburton plays regional rugby for the Cardiff Blues and was first capped for Wales in 2009. He usually plays as an openside flanker but is also capable of playing at blindside. In June 2011 he was named as Wales captain versus the Barbarians and subsequently in August 2011 he was named as the Wales captain for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In April 2013 he was named the Lions' captain for the 2013 tour to Australia. Warburton holds the record for the most Wales caps as captain.

Early and personal life

Warburton was born in Wales to English parents and he considers himself Welsh and British. He has an older twin brother Ben who played at semi-professional level with Glamorgan Wanderers RFC and is now a physiotherapist for the Cardiff Blues, and an older sister Holly, a schoolteacher. He attended Whitchurch High School and left with 3 A Levels. As a youngster he was a keen football player and played for his school team alongside schoolmate Real Madrid and Wales left winger Gareth Bale. He had a trial with local club Cardiff City at the age of 14 but chose to concentrate on rugby instead. He played on the junior teams of Rhiwbina RFC and played for Glamorgan Wanderers RFC whilst a member of the Cardiff Blues Academy.