Sam Warburton has considered stepping down as Wales captain for years due to injuries, form and off-field distractions

EXCLUSIVE: Warburton looks set to step down as Wales captain for the Six Nations after six years of wear-and-tear take their toll both physically and mentally

Sam Warburton has considered stepping down as Wales captain for a number of years as injuries take their toll (Getty)

Sam Warburton’s decision to step down as Wales captain, which will be confirmed by interim head coach Rob Howley in the coming days, is one triggered by years of dismay at the distractions off the pitch that the role brings, a spate of injuries over the last four years and the determination to avoid special treatment when it comes to team selection.

It emerged on Wednesday that Warburton will step down as Wales skipper ahead of this year’s Six Nations tournament, which begins in little over three weeks, with the Daily Mail revealing that he will be replaced by Ospreys lock Alun Wyn Jones. With Warburton no longer the automatic first choice in the back-row, it appears that he is now determined to work on his form to justify his place in the national side.

But The Independent understands that the 28-year-old’s decision is one that he has been considering for a number of years, with certain responsibilities that comes with the captaincy wearing thin along with his body thanks to the rigours of modern day rugby union.

Warburton has been one of the standout captain’s in international rugby since he took over the role in 2011 after succeeding Matthew Rees, but the burden of fulfilling numerous sponsor and media responsibilities has meant that he cannot commit his full attentions to his on-pitch performances.

The Cardiff-born back-row has also been blighted with injuries in recent years, and is known to have been angered by the hamstring injury that struck him down for the final British and Irish Lions Test against Australia four years ago that resulted in Jones captaining the side.

In 2016 alone, Warburton suffered separate injuries to his AC shoulder joint and cheekbone, as well as being concussed during the Six Nations – coincidentally after a stray boot from teammate Jones struck him during the narrow defeat by England – and he has had to cope with seven different injuries – an alarming number – since sitting out the third Lions Test Down Under in 2013.

Warburton’s decision has also been influenced by the emergence of Justin Tipuric as one of the leading openside flankers in world rugby, which raises the question over Warburton’s position at seven in the near future. Head coach Warren Gatland, who will lead the Lions to New Zealand this summer for the second consecutive tour, resorted to moving Warburton to the blindside to accommodate the pair of them, but that meant dropping defensive warhorse Dan Lydiate.

Warburton wants to focus on re-finding his form ahead of the Six Nations (Getty)

He is known to be aware that the captaincy has, at times, guaranteed his place in Gatland’s side even if his form suggests otherwise, and he now wants to focus on recapturing his best form ahead of the Six Nations and the Lions tour this summer to justify his selection.

Warburton spoke at length earlier this season to admit he doesn’t expect to be retained as Gatland’s captain for the Lions tour, and it instead appears that Jones is in a two-horse race with Ireland skipper Rory Best to lead to team on their quest to win just a second tour in New Zealand in their history, after Dylan Hartley significantly dented his chances by picking up a six-week ban for a swinging arm on Leinster’s Sean O’Brien during a recent European Champions Cup match.

Warburton was angered by the injury that ruled him out of the final Lions Test in 2013 (Getty)

“The captaincy is probably more likely not to happen than it is to happen,” Warburton said of retaining the Lions captaincy. “There's so much more competition now in the British Isles than there was. It doesn't matter what you've done in the past — I've got to earn it all over again.”