Sam Warburton is out and he could also miss first game Down Under

Sam Warburton’s dream of a triumphant start to his Lions captaincy disappeared today when he was ruled out of Saturday’s tour opener against the Barbarians.

The Wales flanker’s knee injury, apparently more serious than at first thought, means Paul O’Connell will lead the side at the Hong Kong Stadium.

O’Connell is no stranger to leadership duty in the famous red shirt; the Irish lock captained the Lions in South Africa four years ago and went within touching distance of winning a classic Test series against the Springboks.

“This is a real honour,” the Munster skipper said. “I’m disappointed for Sam, who has done a great job of running the ship since we came together a couple of weeks ago, but I’m only too delighted to take on the responsibility for this game. Last Christmas, I didn’t think I’d be here at all.”

Remarkably, the forward made the cut for this squad after missing six months of rugby with a chronic back complaint; after playing twice for his province in October of last year, he was incapacitated until early April. It was only when he produced a performance of the highest calibre to guide Munster to victory in a Heineken Cup quarter‑final at Harlequins that his candidacy for the tour started to be taken seriously.

Today’s news is not good for Warburton, however. Head coach Warren Gatland revealed that the Cardiff Blues back-rower was suffering from a damaged knee ligament and was unlikely to resume training until next week. That leaves him at some risk of missing the first of the Lions’ nine games in Australia — a potentially tricky encounter with Western Force in Perth on Wednesday. Gatland added that his captain had been “sore” for some days. Three other players will begin this 10-match tour on the casualty list. The Ireland full-back Rob Kearney has a hamstring problem while his countryman, the back‑rower Sean O’Brien, is suffering from knee trouble. Gethin Jenkins, the Wales prop and one of the most experienced members of the party, is struggling with a strained calf. None are serious concerns but there is no guarantee they will be fit before the meeting with Queensland in nine days’ time.