Warburton leads by example so I'll back him to captain Lions

Sam Warburton lost the Wales captaincy during the Six Nations but Alex Cuthbert believes the flanker is the ideal candidate to lead the Lions in Australia this summer.

Competition is fierce to captain the touring party and former Lions skippers, Ireland’s Paul O’Connell and Brian O’Driscoll, are also among the runners for the coveted position, with Warren Gatland announcing his decision next Tuesday.

But Cuthbert — who is also likely to be on the plane Down Under this summer — believes his Cardiff Blues and Wales team-mate Warburton has all the credentials to take up the leadership mantle for the three-Test tour.

“Sam would definitely be one of my favourites to be captain,” said the 23-year-old. “He’s a world-class player, one of the best sevens in the world and one of the best players I’ve ever played with. He’s a great bloke and a great leader and he has shown that over the last few years. I’ve enjoyed playing under him and he leads by example on the pitch.”

There is no doubting the credibility of Cuthbert’s reference. The 17-stone winger scored four tries in the Six Nations — twice as many as anyone else in this year’s championship. Cuthbert has been injured since his two tries helped Wales defeat England 30-3 last month but Gatland has hinted the flyer has already done enough to earn his inclusion and the likelihood of an all Welsh back-three — alongside Leigh Halfpenny and George North — is very much on the cards.

“I love playing with George and Leigh and I’ve got a good relationship with them both,” said Cuthbert. “It would be all our dreams to play together in that team but obviously there are a lot of other class wingers like Tim Visser, Chris Ashton and Tommy Bowe who are all competing for positions.”