Warburton led Wales Down Under this summer as the tourists came agonisingly close to a first victory on Australian soil since 1969.
And while the series defeat to the Wallabies was hard to take, the star openside insists it has made him even more determined to knock over Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in November.
“Not that the players are looking too far ahead, but we’re getting hungrier and hungrier for that southern hemisphere scalp,” said Warburton, who skippered Wales to Grand Slam success in March.
“I’m bored of talking about it now and I’m sure you’re bored of hearing about it but the sooner that comes, the better.
“At the end of the day, it was 3-0 to Australia. We didn’t get too much bad press but we didn’t get that win, which was what we really wanted. We were all really disappointed and I think that shows how far we’ve come as a squad.
“Hopefully that summer tour will be the last part of a learning curve for our squad. I’m really hoping we can take that next step.”
Warburton didn’t feature in the Blues’ opening PRO12 win at Connacht on Saturday night and he says he’s feeling fresh and ready to go after a well-earned rest following his return from Australia.
The 23-year-old and his fellow Welsh internationals at the region had more than a month off but, having started the last pre-season game against Bath, Warburton is now keen to get back into the swing of things.
“All the Australian tour players had five weeks off. Phil (Blues, boss Phil Davies) told us to stay away from training, clear our heads, get rid of those niggling injuries and rest up a bit. Phil’s managed us very well to try and make sure he gets the best out of us,” added Warburton.
“With the intensity of international rugby these days, those few weeks off – if you plan it correctly – are vital to keep your motivation and make sure your body heals so it doesn’t start creaking later in the season.
“Phil will try and use the squad as best he can. You can’t pick the same team every week and I’m sure there will be some rotation in there.
“I’m really hungry to play again. The end of last season was really tough on my body more than anything but now I feel re-motivated. I really enjoyed being out there against Bath.
“My body feels good. That Bath match must be the first game I’ve finished without a niggle in about 12 months so that feels quite unusual. There’s definitely plenty more to come and hopefully I’ll just keep getting better and better each game.”
