Lengthy reading.
It seems all but certain that Wales’ Sam Warburton will be named Lions captain next Wednesday when Warren Gatland announces his squad.
Many bookmakers have suspended betting on the potential appointment with many predicting that it is more or less a sure thing.
Though on the other hand, you never know what to think when it comes to the mind of the 53-year-old Kiwi coach.
Warburton’s latest injury, a medial ligament sprain, has ruled him out of action for six weeks.
The 2013 Lions captain picked up the injury at the weekend during Cardiff Blues’ draw with Ulster in Belfast.
He would still have plenty of time to get up to speed before the first Test match against the All Blacks on June 24.
However, his durability is a concern and you cannot blame Gatland for taking this into consideration, especially when you review Warburton’s history of injuries.
Sam Warburton is on the treatment table once again.
A front-runner for #Lions captaincy – will he be able to put this record behind him? pic.twitter.com/Kbvl0i312L
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) April 11, 2017
The list makes for scary reading when you look at the variety of the injuries – ankle, knee, hamstring, finger, shoulder, neck and cheekbone.
Of course, Warburton isn’t on his own in this regard, the increasingly physically demanding nature of modern rugby union means that more and more players have injury records such as this.
That’s a debate for another day, however.
What Gatland must decide now is whether he should run the risk of naming a player who is prone to injury as the captain of the Lions.
This may not sway the Kiwi, though.
There will likely be a strong leadership group in the squad so other players can step in when needed.
Like when Alun Wyn Jones captained the Lions in the third Test against Australia in 2013 because of an injury to Warburton.
With that in mind, it would definitely be a shock if anyone but the 28-year-old is named as captain on Wednesday.
