The openside flanker faces up to six weeks on the sidelines after damaging ligaments in the Guinness Pro12 loss at Ospreys. And it was a tackle from his Wales back-row comrade – Justin Tipuric – that did the damage.
Warburton fell awkwardly when he was forced to the ground by Tipuric as the pair grappled at the side of a ruck. He will now miss the crucial back-to-back Challenge Cup ties against Montpellier though head coach Danny Wilson hopes to have the British Lion back for the trip to Harlequins in round five in January.
But the bruising back-rower should be fit in-time to lead Wales’ Six Nations campaign, starting with a trip to the Aviva Stadium to take-on Ireland on Sunday February 7.
Wilson said: “We are hoping it will be more like four weeks. I know Sam, as a good professional will work hard and get himself back as soon as possible. It’s a minor injury in terms of management and time. Hopefully we will get him back as quickly as possible.”
It is a further blow for Cardiff Blues who have already lost Warburton’s successor Ellis Jenkins to a similar injury. Josh Navidi has also been out of action for almost month with a neck problem.
Wilson said: “We are unfortunate to have three of our sevens injured, but it opens the door for someone else and maybe a slightly different back-row mixture. Credit to the likes of Manoa Vosawai and Josh Turnbull who have been outstanding, especially in the last two games.We will just need to make sure we get the balance right with the players that are available for us.”
