Former Wales and British & Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton reveals pressures of captaincy in new hard-hitting BBC One Wales documentary

Sam Warburton: Full Contact, to be broadcast on St David's Day (1 March), lifts the lid on the public and private life of the former international Rugby Union player. He talks honestly about his captaincy and early retirement from rugby at the age of 29. Sam talks publicly for the first time about the challenges he faced leading up to his decision to retire.

He says: “Deciding to retire was the easy thing, the hardest thing was letting people know because I felt I was letting so many people down. I was so physically and emotionally drained in my career I just didn't have the emotional energy to keep going. Having to tell Warren Gatland felt like I was letting him down badly."

The youngest ever World Cup captain at 22 years of age, Warburton went on to captain Wales a record 49 times. BBC Wales was given unprecedented access to Sam during the making of the documentary including during a relaxed chat in Sam’s kitchen between him and Wales head coach, Warren Gatland. He explains his decision to hand the captaincy to Sam and why he felt he was capable of taking the role at such a young age: “I looked at the long term benefit, very similar to Richie McCaw. He played for the All Blacks when he was 19 and a few years later he was made captain and they got a lot of benefit. I saw the same similarities."

Warburton’s first World Cup as captain in 2011 wasn’t without controversy. Describing the moment he tackled Vincent Clerc which resulted in a red card, Warburton says: "I hit him and I remember he went flying up in the air and I remember thinking oh my god, this has spiralled out of control."

Worried about the response following the sending off, in an emotional interview Warburton says he imagined being portrayed as the “Welsh villain”, but the Wales number seven was surprised by the reaction of fans:

“Two days after that game we were walking to the disciplinary hearing. There must have been two to three hundred people drinking on the streets and I remember thinking 'Oh God, this is going to be a nightmare.'

"The first bar all stood up and started clapping and cheering. The bar opposite did the same and it was like a Mexican wave that went down and everyone stood up - that was probably the most emotional thing I've ever been through. It was the first time I realised everyone had my back, and it was so overwhelmingly nice”

This access-all-areas documentary sees Sam with his family and a host of rugby royalty including Warren Gatland, Sir Clive Woodward, Brian O’Driscoll and former teammates George North and Martyn Williams.

The documentary, directed by acclaimed sports documentary director Stewart Sugg and produced by Nimble Productions, shows Sam as you’ve never seen him before. Relaxing with his family and offering an insight into his life after rugby retirement, the documentary offers a unique opportunity to get to know the man behind the rugby.

Sam Warburton: Full Contact, BBC One Wales
Friday 9pm

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