Alun Wyn Jones' final selfless act left Lions stars close to tears after heartbreaking end | Wales Online

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Wales legend Alun Wyn Jones made two farewells as a British and Irish Lion in 2021, and the first of those almost brought his team-mates to tears.

The most capped rugby player of all time led the touring side to South Africa four years ago, but his summer was almost ended at the first hurdle.

Before jetting to Johannesburg, the Lions played a warm-up fixture against Japan at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. And it was there Jones suffered a dislocated shoulder that initially ruled the Lions captain out of the trip less than 24 hours before they were due to fly.

It was the cruellest kind of ending to one of the most illustrious careers in Lions history. Former Ospreys lock Jones, 39, first toured with the squad to South Africa in 2009 and had played every Lions fixture held since but would be denied his comeback.

But given the leader he is, Jones stuck around to dispense the tourists' caps and hand over the captaincy to Conor Murray before parting ways with the squad. Not only that, he delivered a rousing speech to the rest of the players that hit home with all of those who felt his pain.

"He spoke very eloquently and very well at the cap presentation," said forwards coach Robin McBryde. "He wished everybody the best and just got on with the job. It was tough for all concerned really. I know Jason Leonard was close to shedding a tear, if you want to use him as some sort of barometer.

"When Alun Wyn speaks, it's always from the heart. It was very heartfelt. There was no working around it how disappointed he was obviously. It's a big thing. But he kept his emotions in check. He was able to get his words out and just do the job in hand."

McBryde went on to say the eulogy summed Jones up as a person, always putting the team's needs ahead of his own. And he acknowledged it out some additional pressure on the players and coaching staff to deliver in the lock's absence.

As fate would have it, Jones made a miraculous recovery from the shoulder injury and was able to join the Lions on tour. Not only that, but he appeared in all three Test matches and played the entire 80 minutes for the first two, including the iconic series-opening win.

As such, he became the first Lion to feature in 12 consecutive Tests on four different tours across a 12-year span. He also became the joint-third-most capped Lions ever, trailing only Dickie Jeeps (13) and all-time great Willie John McBride (17).

It was fitting that fans got a look at the emotional side of the Test veteran as he made his Lions departure from the field. When asked by Sarra Elgan how he'd look back on the 2021 series compared to his other three, Jones visibly struggled to get his words out before uttering: "It's just done now, so..."

Many in Jones' position might lap up the accolades bestowed upon them, regardless of how deserved they may be. But yet again, when asked for his fondest Lions memories and what the jersey means to him, the leader was all about his team.

"It's funny. For this one in particular I had to work harder second time to get out here," he replied. "I know a lot of these guys will be on the next one, so I look forward to watching them."

The embodiment of a captain until the very end. England's Maro Itoje picked up the captaincy to great effect this summer and will look to complete a 3-0 rout of the Wallabies in Sydney this Saturday.