Rob Howley believes his former captain Sam Warburton will prosper back in the ranks in the same way Chris Robshaw has done for England.
Interim Wales coach Howley ended Warburton’s commission as his country’s leader after almost six years when he confirmed that Alun Wyn Jones would lead Wales into the Six Nations. The 49 Tests in which Warburton wore the armband was seven more than Robshaw managed during his time as England skipper under the reign of former coach Stuart Lancaster.
But just as Robshaw has made a success of the transition to being back among the foot soliders, so Howley believes Warburton, who led the British and Irish Lions in 2013, can feel rejuvenated by focussing solely on his own performance.
The parallel goes further, since Warburton, like Robshaw, is expected to resume his duties in the team with a number six on his back, rather than seven. There is likely to be a further adaptation for Warburton, 28, when he wins his 70th cap for Wales in their opening match of the tournament against Italy in Rome in a fortnight. He will be two kilograms heavier than the streamlined openside who led Wales on tour to New Zealand last summer.
“We have certainly not written Sam off,” says Howley, who himself lost the Wales captaincy to Dai Young after the 1999 World Cup, but managed to extend his time in the team for another three years.
“Sam was on the ball for the Cardiff Blues at the Scarlets and his physicality over the ball is his strength. He is a little bit lighter and he is making an effort to put on a couple of kilos. When I spoke to him the other day, he was in a good mindset and a good place.
“It is the first time for a while, as he said, he has put four or five games back-to-back and I have no doubt that the experience and talent he can bring to us will be seen in the Six Nations.
“The Sam that left the office is hugely motivated; whether it was a pressure release, I am not too sure. But he is looking forward to the Six Nations. We have a leadership group and I gave him the option of being part of it and he said: ‘Absolutely.’
“He has a lot to offer and that is the key. He can play 6 and 7 and he has proved that. He was outstanding against Argentina (last November) and he has played well at 7. He is trying to evolve his game and there is no-one working harder than Sam.
“By not having the responsibility and accountability when Wales comes first, but Sam Warburton does, that will be the best for Sam.”
Howley is likely to select Justin Tipuric in Warburton’s former position at openside, with the major threat to the ex-captain’s switch to blindside being the form of Gloucester’s powerful Ross Moriarty. Wales are hopeful their Bath forward Taulupe Faletau will be fit to resume at No.8.
Despite some fitful performances in the autumn that brought harsh criticism in Howley’s direction, rebukes he described as “white noise” in the aftermath of victory over South Africa, the former scrum-half is sanguine about the likelihood of England and Ireland dominating much of the pre-tournament debate concerning title aspirations.
“If everyone is talking about England and Ireland, that’s perfect. We won three from four in the autumn. We beat South Africa and everyone said they were not playing well and made many changes, but the first time I beat South Africa was back in 1999, when they came over missing 10 players but all the flags were still out in Wales for three weeks. I do not think they have ever had a bad rugby team.
“A lot of our players are excited coming into the Six Nations; there is a freshness about us, a new captain, there will be an edge, huge competition for places and we are looking forward to the first game.
“If people see the Six Nations as a shoot-out between England and Ireland then it is good that no-one is talking about Wales. I spoke about our home form in the autumn and it is nice to have England and Ireland at home.
“We back ourselves at the Principality Stadium and have a very good record in the Six Nations, in particular at home. The challenge for us from a selection point of view is the first two games with a six-day turnaround.
“Italy first up will be hugely competitive and they have a new coaching team. They came up short against Tonga but had a fantastic win over South Africa. They will be a big challenge but we have been to Italy before and we have a lot of experience, which we will count on.”