Warburton Factfile

After Sam Warburton was appointed as captain of the British and Irish Lions, we look at his rise to fame.

Sky Sports takes a look at the 24-year-old's rise to fame after being handed the captaincy by Warren Gatland. 1988: October 5 - Born in Cardiff, educated at Whitchurch Comprehensive. 2007: January - Named Principality Premiership player of the month after man-of-the-match performances for Glamorgan Wanderers against Bridgend, Bedwas and Maesteg. March - Named Wales Under-19 captain for the 2007 IRB World Championships. 2009: May - Makes regional debut for Cardiff Blues against Edinburgh. June - Makes Wales debut against the United States in Chicago. 2010: November - Moves ahead of Martyn Williams to become Wales' first choice openside. 2011: June - Captains Wales for the first time in defeat to the Barbarians at the Millennium Stadium. August - Appointed captain for the 2011 World Cup, becoming the youngest Welshman to lead his team at the tournament. October: Wales reach the semi-finals but Warburton is sent off after only 17 minutes against France for a spear tackle on Vincent Clerc. Wales lose the match and Warburton serves three-week ban. November: Accepts the tackle was "uglier" than he initially thought and refuses to criticise his dismissal or suspension. 2012: March - Plays through the RBS 6 Nations with a shoulder injury as he leads Wales to the Grand Slam climaxing in a title decider against France. June - Makes good recovery from shoulder problem to start all three Tests on summer tour to Australia. 2013: February - Starts Six Nations as Wales captain only to suffer a shoulder injury March: Returns to the starting line-up against Scotland, but Ryan Jones remains skipper. Gethin Jenkins then named captain against England with Warburton playing blindside flanker. April 30: Named captain for the British and Irish Lions tour of Hong Kong and Australia.