Justin Tipuric, Warburton’s deputy against the Azzurri, misses out altogether while prop Gethin Jenkins hands leadership responsibilities back to his Blues teammate.

Matthew Rees is set to bring up his half century of caps in the red of Wales as he keeps his place at hooker.

Consistency has been the key for Gatland as his side hunt a clean sweep, Leigh Halfpenny, Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North, Rhys Priestland, Mike Phillips, Ian Evans, Toby Faletau and Alun Wyn Jones set to appear in all five of Wales’ starting XVs after being given the nod again this weekend.

On the bench Blues scrum-half Lloyd Williams has returned from the thigh injury which kept him out last weekend and replaces Rhys Webb who made his debut in the win over Italy.

“We are obviously aware of what this game means to the fans, 60,000 of them came to the Millennium Stadium during the Rugby World Cup to watch us face France in the semi-final on the television screens and that tells you everything about how dedicated they are,” said Gatland.

“But this weekend we play in front of a sell-out 74,500 crowd with a chance to make history in Cardiff, they will be there to watch us in the flesh, they can make a real and positive contribution to the atmosphere and, like us, will be thinking of nothing other than the here and now.

“In camp all we can and must do is make preparations as normal, the magnitude of the game is not lost on us but it is irrelevant to how we prepare - we have our captain back and, although Justin Tipuric is unlucky after playing well in his place last week, Sam’s presence is a welcome boost to everyone.”

Wales

15. Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues)
14. Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues)
13. Jonathan Davies (Scarlets)
12. Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues)
11. George North (Scarlets)
10. Rhys Priestland (Scarlets)
9. Mike Phillips (Bayonne)
1. Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues)
2. Matthew Rees (Scarlets)
3. Adam Jones (Ospreys)
4. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys)
5. Ian Evans (Ospreys)
6. Dan Lydiate (Newport Gwent Dragons)
7. Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues)
8. Toby Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons)

Replacements

16. Ken Owens (Scarlets)
17. Paul James (Ospreys)
18. Luke Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons)
19. Ryan Jones (Ospreys)
20. Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues)
21. James Hook (Perpignan)
22. Scott Williams (Scarlets)