SAM Warburton has spoken publicly for the first time since it was revealed that Alun Wyn Jones had replaced him as Wales captain after five-and-a-half years in the role.

Addressing members of the media at Wales’ Vale of Glamorgan training base, Warburton said not having the captaincy would make him hungrier to keep his place in the side.

Interim head coach Rob Howley announced Jones as Warburton’s successor last week when he named his squad for the Six Nations.

Speculation surrounding Warburton’s tenure as captain had been rife before that, but Warburton has admitted it was nothing he didn’t know himself already.

“With the decision on the captaincy, it’s something I’ve known about after I spoke with Rob previously, so it’s no surprise,” he said.

“The priority for me has always been just to make the national team and the one thing I never want to become is complacent.

“To get picked in the team has always been my focus and my priority, and not having the captaincy will allow me to do that even more, so that’s why it was the best decision for me.”

He added: “Sometimes in your career there’s a time when you just need to focus on yourself.

“Even though you’re in a team sport you do still need to be selfish and performance has to be the number one priority. That’s why this is the best thing for me.”

Going into detail on the decision itself, he added: “It wasn’t a definitive moment. This has been happening over the past few months.

“Rob’s a good guy to speak to about it because he was captain of Wales back when he was playing.

“We’ve had many conversations over the past few years about captaincy but it probably came to our attention in the autumn so we sat and talked about it.

“That nurtured again through December and January, so there wasn’t a single definitive moment, it was a decision we both agreed on and both thought was best for myself and the team.”

With so much back-row talent in Wales at the moment Warburton knows he will have his work cut out to make the starting XV.

“The one thing I’ve said to Rob and Warren (Gatland) in the past is that the only problem you have, or I had with captaincy, is you don’t want to get complacent and expect to be picked in the team.

“That’s why this is great now because there are so many goods sevens and sixes in the side you’ve really got to bring you’re A-game just to get in the 23.

“We’ve got so much competition there and that’s what I want to bring the best out in me.

“That’s why I thought it would be good to not have the captaincy. It makes me have to work even harder than I have done to get in the team.

“You have that goal of wanting to start and play for Wales. That’s why I think it will probably make me more hungry, not to have the captaincy, and it’s all driven towards trying to improve that performance.”

As for his successor, Warburton has absolutely no concerns that Jones will hit the ground running.

“Your captain is somebody who is respected by all the players, a very good professional, on and off the field, and that’s why, for me, Alun Wyn is a standout candidate,” he continued.

“He’s had all that in bucket loads ever since I’ve been involved. The role that he has played probably won’t change too much really because he’s had such a massive influence on the squad since I was first capped.

“All he has to do is just keep doing what he’s doing, and all he does then is take the armband onto that field when it’s Test match time.

“I think it will be a nice, smooth transition for him and he’ll be able to cope with that fine.”

As for his highlight as skipper, Warburton reckons beating South Africa in Cardiff in 2014 is probably his standout moment.

“That was one big moment and players always get the question about the southern hemisphere, so to finally get that win was really satisfying.