Currently nursing a neck injury, which forced him to miss the 2017 Under Armour Series, the man who led the Lions to a share of the series in New Zealand in the summer has opted to undergo knee surgery to rectify a nagging injury.
It means the 29-year-old back row man will be out of action for four to six months and won’t re-appear for his region, Cardiff Blues, until the start of the 2018/19 season. He will have to sit out the 2018 Nat West Six Nations campaign and faces a race against time to be fit to play for Wales on their summer tour to Argentina.
A WRU statement said: “Sam Warburton has undergone surgery to resolve a knee injury. He is currently sidelined with a neck injury and so the proactive approach was taken with a view of ensuring he returns to action fully fit. The recovery period is anticipated between 4-6 months.”
Warburton, who has led Wales 49 times in his 74 cap career, captained the Lions on their last two tours and is the only skipper in the history of the combined team to have emerged from successive series with out defeat.
