Sam Warburton Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Sam Warburton
OBE

Warburton at the 2012 Grand Slam celebrations

Birth name

Sam Kennedy Warburton

Date of birth

5 October 1988 (age 36)

Place of birth

Cardiff, Wales

Height

6 ft 2 in (188 cm)

Weight

15 st 8 lb (99 kg)

School

Whitchurch High School

Rugby union career

Senior career
Position(s)	Flanker
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2006–2009	Glamorgan Wanderers	27	(10)
Correct as of 12 September 2009
Correct as of 7 April 2017
National team(s)
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2007	Wales U19	5	(0)
2008	Wales U20	4	(5)
2009–2017	Wales	74	(25)
2013, 2017	British & Irish Lions		(0)
Correct as of 10 July 2017

OBE insignia

Sam Kennedy Warburton (born 5 October 1988) is a Welsh former international rugby union player. He played for Cardiff Rugby and first joined the Wales team in 2009. Sam usually played as an openside flanker, which is a key position in rugby.

In June 2011, Sam became the captain for Wales against the Barbarians. Later, in August 2011, he was chosen to lead Wales in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He also captained the British & Irish Lions team for their tours to Australia in 2013 and New Zealand in 2017. Sam holds the record for being Wales' captain the most times (49 caps).

In July 2018, Sam Warburton announced he was retiring from rugby. He was 29 years old and had not fully recovered from neck and back surgeries.

About Sam Warburton
- Sam's Early Sports Life
Sam's Rugby Career
Achievements and Awards
- Individual Honors
- Team Honors
Images for kids
See also

About Sam Warburton

Sam Warburton was born in Wales. His parents were English, but he considers himself Welsh and British. He has an older twin brother, Ben, who also played rugby semi-professionally. Ben is now a physiotherapist for the Scarlets rugby team. Sam also has an older sister named Holly, who is a schoolteacher.

Sam's great-grandfather, George Reed, was a professional footballer. He played over 150 games for Leeds United in the 1920s and 1930s. Sam went to Whitchurch High School and earned three A Levels.

Sam's Early Sports Life

When he was younger, Sam loved playing football. He played for his school team with Real Madrid and Wales football star Gareth Bale. At 14, Sam had a trial with Cardiff City, a local football club. However, he decided to focus on rugby instead.

He played for junior rugby teams like Rhiwbina RFC and Glamorgan Wanderers RFC. This was while he was part of the Cardiff Rugby Academy.

On 5 July 2014, Sam Warburton married his long-time partner, Rachel Thomas. They had a church ceremony in Newport and a reception at the Celtic Manor Resort. Sam is also a fan of the football club Tottenham Hotspur FC.

Sam's Rugby Career

Sam Warburton played for Wales at every level as he grew up. He was captain for the under-18, under-19, and under-20 teams. He led Wales to the semi-finals in the Under-19 and Under-20 World Championships.

Sam made his first appearance for the senior Wales national team on 6 June 2009. This match was against the United States.

On 18 January 2010, Sam was chosen for the 35-man Wales squad for the 2010 Six Nations. He scored his first international try against Italy in the 2011 Six Nations. Sam first captained Wales on 4 June 2011, against the Barbarians. He was 22 years old, making him Wales' second-youngest captain ever, after Gareth Edwards.

In a warm-up match for the World Cup against England, Sam was named man of the match. In August 2011, he was chosen as captain for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. This was because the usual captain, Matthew Rees, was injured.

2011 Rugby World Cup Highlights

In the first game of the tournament against South Africa, Sam became the youngest World Cup captain. He played against South Africa's openside flanker, Heinrich Brüssow. Even though Wales lost 17–16, Sam was named man of the match. He made four turnovers and nearly a quarter of Wales' tackles.

Sam continued his strong performance against Samoa, making many turnovers and 17 tackles. Wales won that game 17–10. He also played well against Namibia before resting for the last half-hour of the game. Wales then secured their spot in the quarter-finals by beating Fiji 66–0. Sam was key to this win, making steals and good runs, and scoring his second international try. Fans voted him the Player of Pool D, as he had made the most turnovers in the tournament.

Wales then played Ireland in the quarter-final. Sam faced Ireland's Seán O'Brien in what was called the 'battle of the opensides'. Wales reached the semi-final for the first time in 24 years, winning 22–10. Sam continued his excellent form, making 21 tackles and many turnovers.

In the semi-final against France, Sam became the second Wales player to receive a red card in a World Cup. He was sent off after 18 minutes for a dangerous tackle. Sam later said he thought it should have been a yellow card. Despite this, the Guardian newspaper and former Lions coach Sir Ian McGeechan named him player of the tournament.

2012 Six Nations Championship

Sam Warburton remained Wales captain for the 2012 Six Nations, even with the return of former captain Matthew Rees. However, Sam's campaign was affected by injuries. In the first match against Ireland, he left at half-time with a leg injury, but Wales still won 23–21.

He missed the game against Scotland but returned for the Triple Crown decider against England. Wales won 19–12. Sam played his best, making steals, carries, and winning lineouts. His try-saving tackle on Manu Tuilagi was especially impressive. Sam launched himself low to grab Tuilagi's ankles, stopping a certain try. He was awarded man of the match for this.

However, Sam got a knee injury and missed the win over Italy. He returned for the Grand Slam decider against France but was injured again, this time his shoulder, and left at half-time. Wales won 16–9 to claim a Grand Slam. Sam lifted the trophy with one hand because his other shoulder was in a sling. He felt a bit guilty for leaving the game early, but his teammates told him it was his moment to celebrate.

2015 Six Nations Championship

On 14 March 2015, Sam Warburton broke the record for most caps as Wales captain. He surpassed Ryan Jones's record of 33 caps in a match against Ireland.

British & Irish Lions Tours

Sam Warburton was named captain of the 37-man squad for the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia. This made him the youngest ever Lions captain at 24 years old. Sam was captain in the first test in Brisbane, where the Lions won 23–21. He made 14 tackles, the most in the game.

Sam started the second test a week later, but the Lions lost 16–15. Many people thought the game changed when Sam got injured and left the field. His hamstring injury meant he could not play in the final, deciding test. Alun Wyn Jones captained the team to a 41–16 win, giving the Lions their first series victory since 1997. After the match, Sam and Alun Wyn Jones raised the Tom Richards Cup together.

In April 2017, Warren Gatland again chose Sam Warburton to captain the Lions for the 2017 tour to New Zealand.

International Tries

Try	Opponent	Location	Venue	Competition	Date	Result
1	Italy	Rome, Italy	Stadio Olimpico	2011 Six Nations	26 February 2011	Win
2	Fiji	Hamilton, New Zealand	Waikato Stadium	2011 Rugby World Cup	2 October 2011	Win
3	France	Cardiff, Wales	Millennium Stadium	2014 Six Nations	21 February 2014	Win
4	Italy	Rome, Italy	Stadio Olimpico	2015 Six Nations	21 March 2015	Win
5	Japan	Cardiff, Wales	Millennium Stadium	2016 Autumn Internationals	19 November 2016	Win