Wednesday 24 May 2017 12:48, UK
Scott Quinnell believes Sam Warburton is back to full fitness and ready to lead the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand this summer.
The Wales flanker declared himself fit earlier this week having not played since April 7 due to a knee injury suffered playing for Cardiff Blues against Ulster.
Lions coach Warren Gatland still named Warburton as his captain for the second time - but there have been doubts about whether he would be fit enough to start the tour.
However, Quinnell, speaking to Sky Sports News HQ, insists those fears are groundless.
"He could not wait to get that jersey on again," he said. "They've had two weeks of training and he has been there since the start.
"He just cannot wait to get out to New Zealand."
The Lions will play 10 matches, starting with the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians, before they play the first of three games against the All Blacks on June 24 in Auckland.
And former England World Cup winner Will Greenwood believes the New Zealand tour is the toughest test for the Lions.
"It's the hardest tour in world rugby," he said. "If you go to Australia or South Africa you play part-time rugby players and semi-professionals, but if you go to New Zealand you don't find that.
"They dominate in Super Rugby and you'll find that format at the top of all their leagues."
Gatland and his coaching staff have been putting the 41-man squad through their paces at gruelling training camps in Wales and Ireland over the last two weeks, and Greenwood believes the intense training sessions will be necessary for the players.
The Sky Sports pundit added: "Some of those training sessions have been ferocious so they know what is coming from New Zealand, so some of the training sessions will be tougher than those first matches."
All 10 games of the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand will be live on Sky Sports, starting June 3.
