Ben Youngs and Owen Farrell are among nine English players included in Sam Warburton’s Lions XV, which he named in his column for The Times.
Canterbury, the world’s #1 rugby brand, has today announced a partnership with Wales and British & Irish Lions legend Sam Warburton which will see him support their activity both ahead of the Lions’ series against South Africa and beyond.
Warburton, the two-time undefeated Lions captain, will use his expertise and legendary status to help Canterbury engage fans across the world and build up excitement ahead of and throughout the series. Warburton will also play a key role in the brand’s activity with its Lions Origin Clubs – celebrating those teams who helped produce Lions players both past and present.
Warburton is a passionate supporter of the grass roots game and shares Canterbury’s vision of breaking down barriers within the game to help make rugby as inclusive as possible. As such, he will form a crucial part of Canterbury’s Made From All campaign, which celebrates how players and fans of the four home nations come together to form the Lions and the strength derived from this unity.
Sam Warburton said: “A Lions tour is the highlight of the rugby calendar and I can’t wait to support Canterbury’s plans for the series. As a former captain, I know how special the tour is for both players and fans, so I’m looking forward to working with Canterbury to help build that excitement and harness that level of support that I know is out there.”
He added: “I’m really proud to be working with Canterbury, a brand that is so synonymous with rugby and has such a rich heritage in the sport. Growing up, Canterbury was the only rugby brand that mattered, and I was always such a huge fan of their kit, so agreeing to partner with them was an easy decision for me. Not only that, they’re on a mission to make rugby more appealing to the masses and to support grassroots players, both of which are issues close to my heart and really appealed to me.”
DID YOU KNOW? Warburton joined a very exclusive club during the 2017 Tour to New Zealand, as he became only the second man to captain The British & Irish Lions twice.
SAM WARBURTON’S LIONS XV:
BACK-THREE
- 15. Liam Williams (Wales)
- 14. Anthony Watson (England)
- 11. Jonny May (England)
DID YOU KNOW? This is the picture that illustrates the heights Williams has scaled to reach international rugby, starting off as a scaffolder. It wasn’t work for the faint-hearted, with Williams rigging scaffolding “over the top of a blast furnace, 300 feet from the ground” back in Wales.