Sam Warburton relishing Scotland battle

Wales flanker Sam Warburton has revealed his excitement ahead of their Six Nations clash with Scotland this weekend.

The two sides meet at Murrayfield on Saturday, with both teams currently sharing second place in the table.

The 24-year-old will be representing his country for the first time in nearly two years without captaining the side, but he insists that he is still looking forward to a battle with the Scots.

"The Scottish back row is very big and physical, so maybe that has influenced the decision to play me at seven," Warburton told Sky Sports News. "That is a challenge I really enjoy. Every time we play Scotland a focal point is always the battle of the back-rows because theirs is so good.

"We know it will be a big job for me, Toby [Faletau] and Ryan [Jones] to nullify their threats, but we will try to figure out a way to get the better of them over the next few days because that back-row battle is so important now in the modern game.

"I would imagine both teams will want to play at the weekend. Both teams have some pretty good backs they want to release, so the speed of ball will be interesting. It will be a big area for us as a team to win that back-row battle."

Warburton replaces Justin Tipuric, who is currently recovering from a shoulder injury.