England v Wales: Sam Warburton makes Twickenham transition

Wales fans have been used to seeing Sam Warburton captaining his nation to famous victories against England at Twickenham.

The 2012 Triple Crown success and 2015 World Cup pool match victory have proved the last two occasions Wales won on England’s home turf.

Warburton these days fills a different role as part of Wayne Pivac’s backroom staff but his desire has not altered.

“I just love being back at the coal-face with the team,” said Warburton.

“It’s where I feel I can contribute, and I love it.”

The 31-year-old has a glittering CV as a player, captaining his country a record 49 times and leading the British and Irish Lions to a series victory in 2013 in Australia and a draw in New Zealand four years later.

After announcing his retirement in July 2018 aged just 29, Warburton heads back to Twickenham on Saturday in a different role as breakdown technical adviser among Wayne Pivac’s support staff.

The former Wales captain featured 10 times against England, winning on four occasions and losing six times.

Warburton believes players are energised by “the history of the game and occasion” rather than any personal rivalries when Wales tackle England.

“I always got on really well with the England boys on the (British and Irish) Lions tour,” he said.

“I know that’s not what the Welsh fans want to hear – they want to hear of a huge rivalry. But I really liked the English lads.

“I thought they were some of the best on tour, and I particularly got on well with the Saracens lads. They were a great bunch.

“Rather than the personal rivalries, the players get more energised over the history of the game and occasion. That does mean a lot to the players.

“To represent Wales at Twickenham and get a win there is massive, and you know how much it means to the country.

“It’s a much easier trip to get your milk because everyone is so happy.

“As players, we all know each other and follow each other on Instagram, so the personal rivalry has gone, but the national rivalry is still there.”

Wales have not won at Twickenham in the Six Nations since the 2012 success when Warburton was named man-of-the-match with a brilliant all-round display typified by a tremendous try-saving tackle on Manu Tuilagi.

Hopes of a successful title defence in 2020 are over following back-to-back losses against Ireland and France, while they have not suffered three successive defeats in the same Six Nations season since 2007.

“The championship has gone, which is absolutely devastating,” said Warburton.

“The thing you talk about at the start of the campaign is to win it – that has to be the only goal.

“We look back on France. Realistically, you are always going to miss a couple of opportunities because that’s the way the game goes, but there were tries we left out there which we are gutted about.

“We’ve had two weeks to wait for it (England game), and it has felt like a really long two weeks.

“As players, you need that time because you have a week to recover a bit, but from a coaching perspective you just want to keep bouncing into the next game.”

If Wales are to claim a first Six Nations victory at Twickenham for eight years, the back-row battle will be pivotal, especially how they handle England’s dynamic pair Sam Underhill and Tom Curry.

“I’ve said from day one that those boys would be top international players, and they are,” former flanker Warburton added.

“They are big-game players, they are starters for England and they are some of the first names on the teamsheet.

“From what I’ve seen, they have both been impressive and they both fully deserve to start for England. When they have played, they’ve made a good impact.

“From a back-row perspective, it’s going to be one of our best challenges and match-ups. I am looking forward to seeing it.

“We’re playing against two young guys who are hungry and in search of more international honours, Lions honours, and we’ve got guys who have achieved that and want to maintain it.

“It’s a fantastic battle of experience against youth.”

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