Ability on the floor remains crucial

There is a view that as the game becomes faster and more attacking, flankers like Sam Warburton are becoming obsolescent. Someone should tell Thierry Dusautoir after the former France captain last Saturday gave a vintage display at the breakdown to frustrate Wasps at the Ricoh Arena, at least for the first hour.



The referee John Lacey was widely criticised for his handling of the tackle area with a number of decisions going against the team in possession, and in general it will probably not be one of the matches he looks back on fondly at the end of his career, but much of Dusautoir’s work went unseen at first glance among piles of bodies.

He won three penalties in the first 25 minutes through first his reading of the game, knowing when to compete for possession, and then by his strength, remaining on his feet as he contested for possession. He forced the ball-carrier to either hold on or tempt a support player to put his hands beyond the ball to give away a penalty.

It was Dusautoir’s brilliance rather than any desire of Lacey’s to penalise the attacking team that helped stop Wasps’ early momentum. One decision appeared unduly harsh against the home team but a review of the replay showed the Frenchman forcing the mistake and even in his twilight years he continues to show the value of brain allied with technique.

It is players like Dusautoir and Warburton who maximise the opportunities for the quick players out wide, as Wasps well appreciate after having George Smith in their team last season. Warburton is one of the hardest players to dislodge when he pins himself over the ball trying to force a turnover and in a week when he has lost the captaincy of Wales, something he held for nearly six years, there is a perception that his international days are coming to an end having been overtaken by the likes of Justin Tipuric and Thomas Young, whose pace, handling and passing make them more suited to the wider approach that has been adopted by Wales in the last year.

Stuart Barnes wrote last week, comparing Warburton to Tipuric, that the former was more of a modern athlete, without the touches and overloaded with power, something that suited Wales at their peak under Warren Gatland because their gameplan then “limited the potential of the openside, favouring the rugged and feisty Warburton”.

For a Tipuric to shine, there needs to be a Warburton, someone who wins prime attacking possession. A year ago, Chris Robshaw’s international obituary was written, but instead of finishing his Test career as the man who captained England when they were knocked out of their own World Cup at the group stage, he switched from the openside to the blindside and became, in the words of Eddie Jones, the glue that held the team together in an unbeaten 2016.

It may be that Warburton moves sides to accommodate Tipuric, something he has done in the past, including last autumn, but he is less of a No6 than Robshaw because he carries less to maximise his turnover opportunities. As Wales are without their other immovable object over the ball for the Six Nations, Gethin Jenkins, Warburton’s value has not diminished.

It may be that he starts on the bench in Rome for the opening Six Nations match against Italy, if the Bath No8 Taulupe Faletau has recovered from a knee injury – his club expects him to be out for another 10 days – with Tipuric and Ross Moriarty selected as the flankers, but England at home six days later is another matter.

It is a game Wales will be targeting after three successive defeats in the Six Nations to an England side that will be missing its two most prolific gainline stormers, the Vunipola brothers. Warburton’s presence would give Wales the opportunity of forcing England to play behind the advantage line when they would have the option of either trying to run their way out of trouble or kicking the ball to their opponents.

Warburton may no longer be Wales’s captain or an automatic pick on the openside, but he still has premium value. Australia moved David Pocock all over the back row, playing him at No8 for a while, because of the turnovers he generated. Like Dusautoir, age did not diminish the effectiveness of Richie McCaw because his ability to read a game compensated for any loss in mobility. It was hard to tell George Smith’s age last season as he was invariably where he needed to be.

Warburton is in that category. He may not show his emotions and he is a player, unlike his successor Alun Wyn Jones, who tends to peak for the big occasion. Jones plays the same whether New Zealand are the opposition or Zebre’s third team, ruthlessly competitive and holding nothing back.

If it was Warburton’s detachment that may have earned him the captaincy over Jones in 2011, he has shown his will to win for Wales, never flinching from contact and putting himself where it hurts. His opponents over the years have cited him as a player they fear and as Wales move from a phase when they minimised risk and tried to squeeze opponents to one where they look to do more in possession, Warburton’s ability on the floor will remain crucial.

There is a saying in boxing that first your legs go and then your friends. Why Warburton has been written off so casually by some in Wales because of his perceived form for the Blues is a question for Gareth Edwards. He rarely reserved his best for his club, Cardiff, averaging around 15 matches a season in his career, but the scrum-half has been voted the greatest player in the history of the game. Warburton’s compatriots should be grateful for what they still have.

• This is an extract taken from the Breakdown, the Guardian’s weekly rugby union email. To subscribe just visit this page and follow the instructions.