Warburton to see specialist

Wales captain Sam Warburton is to see a specialist in London in an effort to determine the severity of the shoulder injury he suffered in the Grand Slam-clinching victory over France.

The 23-year-old was forced off at half-time in the 16-9 Millennium Stadium success, capping an injury-hit tournament for the Cardiff Blues’ back-rower as he played just 160 out of a possible 400 minutes.

A dead leg saw him withdrawn at half-time of the opening win in Dublin and forced him to miss the clash with Scotland, while a knee injury meant he sat out the victory over Italy as well.

Warburton has already undergone two scans on his latest injury, which proved inconclusive, and there are fears he could miss the rest of the season, including Cardiff’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Leinster, and Wales’ three-Test summer tour to Australia.

“I have had the initial scans and examinations, but I’m going to see a specialist in London to hopefully get it sorted,” Warburton told the Daily Telegraph.

“When that will be, I don’t know as yet. I hope it’s soon because not knowing isn’t good for my head.

“There has been some improvement since the weekend.

“However, it’s hard to tell how much. It’s still painful.”