Paul O'Connell has hailed Sam Warburton and believes that the 24-year-old flanker will be his able successor as the British and Irish Lions captain.

Both players will be in the Lions squad for their tour of Australia this summer.

"I haven't spoken to Sam directly about the captaincy," BBC Sport quotes him as saying. "Last week we chatted non-stop about all manner of things.

"It's important that he knows myself, Brian O'Driscoll and all of the senior players are there for him.

"But having spent a week with him it seems to me he'll be perfectly fine. He's a very relaxed guy and confident in his own ability."

O'Connell currently plays as a lock for Munster.

Written by
Subhankar Mondal