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Charlie Morgan 09 February 2017 8:46am GMT Sam Warburton has built his career on diligence and efficiency. As a teenager, he would eat breakfast while watching Super Rugby and tallying the

total contributions – tackles, turnovers, carries, the lot – of star opensides such as George Smith. _Calon_, Owen Sheers’ 2013 ode to the Wales team, tells of how Warburton sometimes

vomited in the shower through nerves on the mornings of his early caps. Mindful that precious fuel had been lost, he would immediately replenish by forcing down a protein shake and a banana.

  These days, after experimenting with a bulkier frame, Warburton knows the precise bodyweight at which he feels most explosive. It is a figure that does not change, even if he is deployed

as a blindside flanker, a position traditionally entailing more grunt. The current Six Nations tournament seems a seminal one for Warburton, relieved of the captaincy before the tournament.

Fortunately for the 28 year-old, and ominously for an England outfit that struggled with back-row balance against France, the details of his display in Wales’ 33-7 defeat of Italy were

intelligent and accurate. SPARING AND SHOOTING BULLETS The map below details Warburton’s open-play contributions during the first half – scrums and lineouts, as well as driving mauls, have

been omitted – using the following key: T – tackle, C – carry, P – pass, OL – offload, TOC – turnover conceded, 1R – first-receiver, 2R – second-receiver (and so on), PG – pick and go, AB –

attacking breakdown, DB – defensive breakdown, 1A – first arriving player to the breakdown, 2A – second arriving player (and so on), E – effective contribution to the breakdown, IE –

ineffective contribution to the breakdown, GB – good ball generated from the ruck, SB – slow ball generated from the ruck, LB – loose ball gathered, PW – penalty won, TW – turnover won, SP –

opposition ball spoiled Wet conditions meant an early arm wrestle and Warburton was willing to hit hard angles in heavy traffic. The top yellow box shows a neat piece of interplay with

Justin Tipuric after seven minutes of the match. On the third phase following a lineout on the right side of the field, Wales are moving the ball back towards the right and have set up a

shield play, with Dan Biggar in behind a front wave of forwards. Rhys Webb passes to Tipuric and there is a gaping hole between two tight-five forwards – lock Marco Fuser and hooker Ornel

Gega – in the _Azzurri_ line: As Fuser presses onto Tipuric, Warburton runs an acute angle towards the right shoulder of Gega. Either Tipuric can send up Warburton, or he can use his fellow

flanker as a decoy and find Biggar, who can then release the backs out wide: Tipuric opts for a short pass. With Nicky Smith in support, Warburton takes the pass at pace… …and crosses the

gain-line. Italy scrum-half Edoardo Gori creeps up from behind the primary defensive line to compete for the ball… …but Smith gets rid of him in a muscular clear-out: Warburton’s ball

presentation presents Webb with an impeccable platform: Eddie Jones values restraint with regard to the defensive breakdown. As he recently suggested when outlining his thoughts on the role

of openside flankers in the modern game, a player is a debilitating hindrance to their team if they continually commit to rucks and compete for the ball without influencing how the

opposition recycle possession. Across the opening 40 minutes in Rome, Warburton committed to just four defensive breakdowns. The only one at which he was ineffective occurred after this

Italy scrum, where Sergio Parrise sends centre Luke McLean towards the Wales half-backs: Webb and Biggar stop McLean beyond the gain-line and, as Gori beckons his forwards around the corner,

the Wales back row circle the tackle area: All three are in place as Gori stoops to the instigate the next phase, with Warburton in the guard role closest to the ruck: Gori lifts the ball

to Fuser, who has fellow lock George Biagi and tireless flanker Maxime Mbanda in support: Warburton and Ross Moriarty, labelled by their shirt numbers, combine to fell Fuser: Moriarty rolls

away and Warburton looks to attack the ball, releasing the tackled player and pouncing: However, Mbanda also adopts a strong body position, stooping even lower than his rival… …and shunting

Warburton away: At this point, we can appreciate Warburton’s resourcefulness and decision-making. Though he has failed to latch on to the ball, he fights to stay on his feet. Encouraged by

Alun Wyn Jones’ organisation, Warburton edges towards the left guard position: Defence coaches, Wales guru Shaun Edwards among them, preach the importance of bodies in the defensive line.

Eddie Jones says the only statistic he measures is how quickly his charges bounce up off the floor and into the game. In this instance, despite competing at the breakdown, Warburton is part

of his team’s defensive structure as Italy recycle the ball: Faced with a red wall, Edoardo Padovani kicks possession away: Just as important as knowing when to save a bullet is a feel of

when to fire one and Warburton remains an opportunistic, skilful scavenger. The lowest yellow square on the map indicates a vital turnover. Less than a minute before half-time, Italy are

five metres from the Wales line. But their attack has become narrow and fractured. Wing Giovanbattista Venditti is at first-receiver. Biagi and Parisse are in front of the ball and only

McLean – hardly a hardened breakdown presence – can support the carrier: Warburton shoots out of the line… …drives Venditti backwards… …and bursts back off the floor in a burpee-like motion.

Meanwhile, McLean and Tipuric convene on the tackle area: Warburton springs into the crouched ‘jackal’ posture, clasping the ball and supporting his own bodyweight: Biagi and Parisse arc

backwards past Gori to clear the threat, but Tipuric binds onto Warburton, making his teammate doubly tough to shift from the ball: As McLean crumbles away from melee, Biagi does dispose of

Tipuric: It is too late though. Referee JP Doyle has seen enough to award Wales a vital penalty: The visitors sacked Rome thanks to 30 unanswered points after the break, and Warburton was a

pivotal figure. RECYCLING AND DISRUPTING Waburton’s energetic but meticulous performance continued into the second half, as the map below demonstrates: Enjoying 61 per cent possession, Wales

went through a total of 105 rucks. Warburton was involved in 20 of these, a number that would obviously have been higher without the carrying load he took on. As the combined tally of each

map shows, he was effective – essential to the ball being won – at 15 of these, or 75 per cent of his total breakdown attendance. Most of the time, an effective contribution to an attacking

breakdown would mean generating good ball, a ruck platform from which the scrum-half can deliver a pass on his own terms. Sometimes though, it takes nous and technique simply to retain

possession. This passage, the middle yellow square on the second half map, begins with Warburton rising for one of his four lineout-takes during the match. He also made a courageous steal on

an Italian throw: Wales attempt to establish a driving maul, but the _Azzurri_ defend it well and Rhys Webb comes away with the ball: Webb hits Liam Williams behind a decoy run from Scott

Williams… …but the shield play is executed too far behind the gain-line. Mbanda fells Liam Williams and, although Scott Williams cleverly blocks Braam Steyn, the carrier is isolated on the

floor: Carlo Canna darts towards the tackle area and Steyn pushes Scott Williams over. At this point, Warburton tracks across: There is a serious threat of a turnover, but Warburton stays

calm. He eyes the ball, hauls Steyn past it… …before bridging Liam Williams in a sturdy, low brace. Webb is free to send up one of his forwards from the next phase: The next sequence,

highlighted by the bottom yellow square of the second half map, is an example of powerful clearing-out that puts the defending side under pressure. With Wales still trailing 7-3, Webb

conducts the same shield pattern closer to the gain-line. As a result, the Italy defenders are fixed and Liam Williams can make ground: Webb then finds Alun Wyn Jones, who is flanked by

Warburton and Samson Lee: Mbanda, Gega and Steyn all commit to the tackle… …and Warburton and Lee arrive as soon as their carrier hits the ground. It is worth comparing the respective

techniques of both clearers. Warburton tries to move from low to high, hitting Mbanda hard. Conversely, Lee trips on the edge of the ruck and loses balance. On another day, he might have

been penalised for going off his feet: In the event, tackler Gega is given no time to roll clear due to the pace of Wales’ recycling. He is trapped on top of the ball… …which Webb makes sure

to exaggerate: Doyle blows his whistle and Wales have an easy chance to reduce the deficit: We finish with another defensive breakdown and a demonstration of Warburton’s spoiling ability.

In the final six minutes, Italy have a scrum. Giorgio Bronzini feeds Michele Campagnaro… …who pulls the ball back to Tommaso Allan, who in turn finds Canna behind the run of McLean. There is

space outside Liam Williams on the far flank… …and Canna’s miss-pass, in front of blindside wing Venditti, sends Giulio Bisegni up the touchline: Leigh Halfpenny is on hand to make a fine

cover tackle on the edge of Wales’ 22: And, with Warburton at the heart of the line, the majority of Rob Howley’s forwards have doubled back to face the next phase. Italy, on the other hand,

are less organised: Bronzini passes to Canna, Francesco Minto wanders through into an aimless decoy line as Wales push up. Steyn offers himself as a carrier… …but is stopped in his tracks

by Alun Wyn Jones. Andrea Lovotti and Parisse follow up on either shoulder of Steyn as Cory Hill and Warburton close in on the tackle area too: Steyn hits the floor and both Hill and

Warburton attack the ball. Take notice of the game clock at this point: Warburton stays on his feet for a second amid the attentions on Lovotti, giving Tipuric time to circle behind the back

foot: When Warburton has finally been wrestled to the floor, Tipuric can attack the ball: Scrum-half Bronzini must try to clear Tipuric rather than moving the ball on, meaning in turn that

Italy forwards Minto and Josh Furno have to commit to the breakdown: Minto clears Tipuric and Furno adopts the role of scrum-half: But by the time Furno lifts the ball away, the ruck has

lasted over six seconds. Besides him and initial carrier Steyn, four more Italians – Parisse, Lovotti, Bronzini, and Minto – are caught up in this one tackle area. Four defenders are stacked

on the blindside and Wales are no longer in danger of being broken down: In fact, Canna kicks from first-receiver and Italy surrender possession from a promising position. Warburton’s

scrapping at the previous breakdown, the only defensive breakdown he attacked in the second half, proves that an effective contribution to a ruck does not have to result in a penalty or a

turnover. Slowing down opposition ball saps momentum and ruins structure. For this reason, it is vital to measure game involvements, especially those at the breakdown, in qualitative as well

as quantitative terms. Warburton scored well in both aspects against Italy. Taulupe Faletau is fit again for Saturday’s showdown. Wales will be able to call upon the well-balanced back-row

triumvirate that dismantled England in 2013, when Warburton and Tipuric excelled. Four years later, another absorbing encounter awaits. _MATCH IMAGES COURTESY OF ITV AND THE RBS 6 NATIONS_