Wales captain Sam Warburton has revealed that he has not thought too much about the spear tackle that saw him sent off in the 2011 Rugby World Cup semi-final.
The back-rower was red-carded early on by Irish referee Alain Rolland at Eden Park for a tip tackle on France wing Vincent Clerc during the 9-8 defeat to Les Bleus.
However, Warburton has claimed that he prefers to focus on his successes with Wales since that moment in Auckland.
He told the Daily Post: "I put that to bed about three years, 11 months ago really! When people mention it, I'll think about it and if someone asks about 2011 the first thing I think of is the red card.
"This is a different scenario and has no bearing on the way I'm going to tackle. For me, it feels ages ago. So much has happened since then, individually and as a team. That experience feels like a lifetime ago."
Wales begin their 2015 World Cup at the Millennium Stadium against Uruguay on Sunday.
Chris O'Keefe
