Wales playing New Zealand in three-Test series thrills captain Sam Warburton
Sunday 5 June 2016 11:04, UK
Wales captain Sam Warburton says playing a three-Test series against the All Blacks in New Zealand, live on Sky Sports, is "an amazing opportunity".
Warburton, providing he recovers in time from a shoulder injury, will return to the scene of arguably his most painful rugby experience next Saturday.
When the Wales skipper last played at Eden Park in Auckland - a 2011 World Cup semi-final against France - he was sent off midway through the first-half as Les Bleus went on to triumph 9-8.
Since then, though, Warburton has led the British and Irish Lions on tour to Australia, while Wales have won two more Six Nations titles and reached a World Cup quarter-final, and he is relishing world rugby's greatest challenge.
With his country without a victory over New Zealand away from home in seven attempts, Warburton said: "I am never, ever going to go into a game not believing we are going to win it. I can't wait for it.
"It's an amazing opportunity for us, three games. You have to have a really positive mindset to go out there, which is half the battle in professional sport.
"We obviously know that New Zealand are massive favourites. They have been the world's best team for a long time now, and they will be the best team we have played against probably in the last three or four years.
"The feeling of victory, then, is what motivates you because it would make it that much greater an achievement. So it's really motivating to go out there and try to get a win against the best side in the world.
International Rugby Union
"It's an amazing rugby country. The people are fantastic, and they are all pretty fond of Welsh rugby, which is really nice to hear. They all seem to enjoy the brand of rugby that we try to play, so probably anywhere other than Wales that I play rugby, New Zealand has been my favourite place."
The All Blacks play their first Test match next weekend since claiming a second successive World Cup triumph last autumn, and they go into battle without the likes of retired record-breaking captain Richie McCaw, plus France-based trio Dan Carter, Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith.
But Warburton added: "They might lose experience, but they will never lose talent. I have been watching the guys in Super Rugby, and their teams have been doing extremely well, playing some great rugby.
"They will have a plan in place and guys coming in, and they will be extremely strong, as ever. Don't get me wrong, the experienced players will be missed, but the ones they have coming through is scary, their strength in depth."
