Sam Warburton had two things that stopped him from signing for European giants

Wales legend Sam Warburton has revealed that it was the pull of home and his country's captaincy that stopped him from signing for Toulon.

The 36-year-old captained the British and Irish Lions on two separate tours - 2013 and 2017. After skippering the iconic side to a series victory over the Wallabies 11 years ago, Warburton became one of the hottest prospects in European rugby.

So much so, that he attracted interest from the Top 14, with giants Toulon keen to get his signature. Despite this interest, Warburton stayed a one-club man with the Cardiff Blues (now Cardiff Rugby) for the remainder of his career.

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The 74-cap flanker had spoken about his desire to be a one-club man in 2019, following the release of his book 'Open Side'. However, in new BBC programme 'Scrum V Top Five', Warburton has shed new light on the situation.

Warburton was questioned about the possibility to play abroad by host Mike Bubbins. "In 2013, the year I was named Lions captain, I guess your stock is fairly high, you know, profile and stuff," explained Warburton. "They asked me to go out just before they won three Champions Cups.

"They wanted me to go out and play seven. So I remember, I flew out there with my agent, stayed over night. I don't mind saying, my take home (pay), would have been two or three times what I was earning in Wales.

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"But I remember thinking... My wife rang me up when I was out there. And she was like: 'How is it?!' You know, south of France and all that, they took me to the beach, restaurants and training ground.

"I said: 'You've got to get me home, it's not Rhiwbina.' I said: 'It's not home!'

"I always thought, if I'm happy, I will play better. I just love my home comforts. I'm very, very close with my family. Plus, I was national captain. I didn't think it would look very good if I shot off to France for what would have been more money.

"So I thought, no, that's not the best thing for my career. I'll have more longevity if I stay home. I want to be a one-club man at Cardiff. I was only ever going to play for Cardiff.

"When I came in here, and saw your blue and black (jersey), I thought: 'That's a proper Cardiff jersey, that.' I grew up wearing that Cardiff jersey in every single age group. I was like: 'I want to wear the blue and black of Cardiff.'"

In the next tour, Warburton skippered the Lions to a series draw against New Zealand in 2017, with the final match a 15-15 draw. That would be the Welshman's final ever rugby game, retiring one year later at the age of 29.

Speaking in a BBC documentary in 2019, Warburton explained that if he hadn't been Wales captain, he may not have hung up the boots so early.

"Would I still be playing if I wasn’t captain? If I’m being brutally honest the answer might be yes," he said. "Because the toll physically has been huge, but mentally it’s probably just as big.

"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."

Since retiring, Warburton has gone on to have a successful career. The Rhiwbina man is a pundit on television, writes columns and runs a popular fitness academy called SW7.

SCRUM V TOP 5

• Monday, 4 November

• BBC One Wales at 8pm and BBC iPlayer. An extended version will also be available on BBC Sounds