Sam Warburton has said that he is looking forward to returning as the Wales captain for his nation's clash against South Africa at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Cardiff Blues openside flanker has not started a Test match as captain of the Red Dragons since February, when he suffered an injury in their Six Nations opener against Ireland.

"I think people know about what I was going through in the last Six Nations," Sky Sports News quotes him as saying.

"I was having a dip in confidence but after the back-end of the tournament, the summer and the start of this season I am getting to the stage now where I feel I am the right person to do it, and I really want to do it.

"I've done it 20 times for Wales and I really feel comfortable with it now, especially with the guys we've got. I wanted it back big time."

Warburton added that his teammates have made it easier for him to return to Wales captaincy.

"It makes it so much easier knowing we have 22 other guys in the squad," he said. "Guys like Alun-Wyn Jones and Adam Jones are invaluable and will have as much influence, if not more, than myself in a training week.

"Those guys are really important for us. When we do a line-out and scrummaging session, Alun-Wyn will pretty much take everything.

"He's very hands-on and making a lot of the decisions which takes the weight off my shoulders. Having these guys around makes my job really easy."

Warburton has featured 38 times for Wales and twice for the British and Irish Lions.