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Former England fly-half Stuart Barnes has warned Warren Gatland against naming Sam Warburton as his Lions captain next week, claiming they will "stand no chance" of beating New Zealand if the Welshman gets the nod.

Warburton, who made such a success of the role in Australia four years ago, is the hot tip for the prestigious captaincy again when Gatland announces his Lions squad in London on Wednesday.

But Barnes, himself a Lion during the 1993 tour to New Zealand, is adamant Gatland needs to look elsewhere.

In his column with The Times , headlined 'Lions stand no chance of upset if Warburton is given captaincy', the opinionated pundit argues the Welsh flanker isn't a creative enough back-row force to trouble the world champions this summer.

He says the only way to beat the All Blacks is to starve them of possession and keep hold of the ball. According to Barnes, however, Warburton does the majority of his best work without the ball.

He argues Justin Tipuric is the best openside in Wales and dismisses claims that the Ospreys man is too small for the New Zealand Tests this summer. Barnes also talks of Gatland needing to take the game to the opposition with a radical back row including Billy Vunipola AND Taulupe Faletau, presumably with Tipuric at seven.

"Warburton is a fine player. A good man. These are not the issues. It is the nature of his game," wrote Barnes.

"He will defend until the last man drops in New Zealand. But more will be needed against the best team in the world. And Warburton doesn’t possess that extra ingredient.

"The Lions will not beat a team as good as New Zealand by making a thousand tackles. The higher the tackling stats, the greater the margin of defeat."

Barnes also suggested that Warburton missing the third Test in 2013 - due to a hamstring injury - put the Lions in a better position to go on and romp to victory over the Wallabies, despite his 'heroic' defensive shift in Melbourne.

His replacement for the final Test in Sydney four years ago, Sean O'Brien, represented a move from 'defensive heroism to match-winning attack' according to Barnes.

Playing more on the front foot, the Lions were a far greater creative force and blew their hosts away to claim a famous win, he reckons.

"With a new openside flanker in the ball-carrying Sean O’Brien, the Lions were dominant. Their injured skipper wasn’t missed. Playing far more on the front foot, the need for tackling and turning over the opposition was negated," wrote Barnes.

He claimed: "What happened in Australia four years ago is actually a reason not to appoint Warburton as 2017 captain."

The Sky Sports pundit went on to say Peter O'Mahony's supreme lineout work and CJ Stander's explosive ball-carrying make them better candidates than Warburton for the six berth he has held down under Rob Howley with Wales this season.

"Warburton is not a natural with the ball in hand, not a comfortable ball carrier," says Barnes. "The more the Tests play to the significant strengths of the Cardiff Blues man's game, the more it is likely to guarantee victory for New Zealand."

Of Tipuric, he writes: "Some say he is too small for New Zealand, yet neither Sam Cane nor Ardie Savea are heavyweight opensides."

Despite Barnes' view, and the fact Warburton won't play again before the tour because of a knee injury, the former Welsh skipper is still odds on to be Gatland's captain again.

Gatland is a a huge admirer of Warburton and will reveal his hand this coming Wednesday.

Barnes hopes Warburton, who he describes as a 'destructive force', makes the tour - but reckons he should make 'a magnificent midweek leader', as opposed to Test skipper.

"The odds are against the Lions winning. They will grow even greater should the former Wales captain once again be named their leader," claims Barnes in the column.