Captain Sam Warburton, who has not played rugby since suffering a shoulder injury in November, hopes to be fit to lead Wales’s defence of the Six Nations championship when they will be seeking an unprecedented third successive outright win.

Warburton suffered the nerve damage in their 30-26 defeat by Australia but said at the tournament’s official launch yesterday that he hoped to be available when his team get the tournament underway against Italy in Cardiff on February 1.

“I think I am going to be available for selection but we might decide if it’s better to play a club game first,” he said.

Warburton, who also missed the final and decisive test of the British and Irish Lions’ series victory over Australia last year, said the target of three Six Nations titles in a row had been brought up as his team sat dejected in their Cardiff dressing room after suffering their eighth successive defeat at the hands of the Wallabies.

“Shaun Edwards (assistant coach) talked about three in a row after that Australia match,” he said.

“He said to look for positives and to go away and play ourselves into the squad for the Six Nations tournament where we would have a chance to create rugby history.”

Several teams have won two successive champion-ship titles then taken a share of a third – before points difference was introduced to split teams finishing level – but nobody has completed an outright hat-trick.

The bookmakers are as unsure as anyone, with Wales the tightest of favourites at 2/1 ahead of England and France.

With away games against Ireland and England on the horizon, it looks a difficult challenge, especially in the light of Wales’s continuing dire record against the southern hemisphere sides, but their incredible recent form in the world’s oldest rugby tournament ensures they remain real contenders.

England, since Clive Woodward revolutionised their outlook, like to compare themselves to the southern hemisphere sides.

But following last year’s 30-3 Cardiff humiliation that ended England’s grand slam hopes and gave Wales the title, they too will have to find a way to become masters of their own neighbourhood first.

An encouraging November series despite the absence of a host of injured players showed that Stuart Lancaster is building a squad with some depth but they will have to hit the ground running when they open up away to France on February 1 before travelling to Scotland a week later.