Sam Warburton could miss first Test

Captain Sam Warburton is willing to tell British and Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland he is not ready to play a Test match if he has not built up sufficient game time to operate to the best of his ability against the All Blacks.

On previous Lions tours, a Test starting berth would have been seen as an automatic right for the captain, regardless of whether he was the best available player in his position. Yet the goalposts have changed and Warburton is happy not to rely on his status when it comes to selection.

The 28-year-old Welsh back rower felt tightness in his ankle 15 minutes into the opening game of the tour against the Provincial Barbarians, his comeback from a knee injury suffered on April 7 for Cardiff Blues against Ulster. He has not been seen in action since.