by Alun Wyn Jones is feeding his eight-month-old daughter Loti in the kitchen of his home in Swansea. A moment later he lifts the youngest of his three daughters onto his knees as she playfully nuzzles his face, while his wife Anwen looks on.
Dressed in black, the most capped player in rugby history has always had an impressive physique, but this is a scene of domestic glee, a far cry from his public image as an indomitable 158-cap warrior for Wales and 12 caps for Great Britain. and the Lions of Ireland over four tours.
Four weeks after his retirement, the 38-year-old’s thoughts are already turning to the next phase of his life. But before he goes forward, he must look back. For the last time.
His impressive international career saw him win five Six Nations titles, including three Grand Slams. The Ospreys green also played in four World Cups, reaching the semi-finals twice.
In 2021 Jones appeared to defy medical logic by recovering from a dislocated shoulder suffered in the Lions’ warm-up game against Japan to return and captain Warren Gatland’s side in the Test series against South Africa. He also captained the Lions in their third Test series victory over Australia in 2013.
But now it seems that the final battle is coming to terms with how it ended. Jones announced his international retirement in May this year, despite initially being named in Wales’ preliminary World Cup squad in France.
He has kept his advice until now but the best player to wear the Welsh jersey in the professional era wants, for the sake of his future and his own good, to share his final chapter.
“I haven’t done an interview like this in a long time, and this is the last one I’ll do,” says Jones, who made his Test debut in Argentina in 2006.
“But I have to share my perspective so that I and my family can move forward. Since I retired from international rugby, everyone has been asking me questions, and those questions are getting harder to answer as time goes on.”
Jones walks across his kitchen and picks up a small box, pushing out what looks like a small silver bluetooth speaker. In fact it is a personal ECG device to monitor the rhythm of his heart.
“I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation,” he says. “It was discovered when I underwent a full medical, including an ECG test, when I joined Toulon in July on a short-term contract as cover during the World Cup.
“The cardiac doctor picked him up straight away. My heartbeat was like a galloping horse with six legs. It was all over the store.
“Cardiovascular exercise and stress are probably the things that give it to someone my age, it happens in sports like rowing and endurance sports, but it was shocking because I’ve always prided myself on my fitness throughout my life. I’ve always been so committed to doing extras after games, always working on my fitness and recovering from injuries.”
Jones flew back to London the next day to see a consultant who reassured him that the risk to his health was low but as his heart rate was still elevated, it would be important to undergo a procedure as soon as his contract with Toulon expires in November. long term difficulties.
“We acted on medical advice from a rugby point of view,” he said. “It was a risk, but I was happy to play for Toulon. Anwen and I had a conversation as husband and wife and I said: ‘I’ve come this far, if I fall out, at least I’ll be doing something I love’.
“Maybe it was a selfish decision as I have three young daughters, but I had to take the opportunity. It was only going to be there for four months, and it gave me the opportunity to gain experience and perspective on my career and my life.”
It was important for Jones to accept the Toulon contract despite his condition for two reasons. His contract with the Welsh Rugby Union was due to expire in November and his ‘old school’ attitude was such that he intended to always respect that.
The cameo in Toulon, which included captaining the side on his last appearance – a win at Clermont Auvergne four weeks ago, which earned him permanent surgery – allowed him to reach that target date to end his life 19 years.
But it was more important to enjoy one last meaningful rugby adventure, given the way his international career ended.
‘I started thinking ‘is this my time?”
When his heart condition was diagnosed, he was told he probably developed it between a year and 18 months earlier, the period in his testing career when he was first told his “numbers” – the fitness data. caught during games and during training – falling.
He could not now wonder if the underlying health condition was the cause of that decline, or the general expectation that age had finally caught up with the great hero.
In hindsight, it’s amazing, but signs and maybe signs started early in 2022, when he won his 150th cap against Italy after a five-month layoff with two shoulder operations.
He began to notice a decline in his conditioning and fitness, despite doing everything to fulfill his rehabilitation plan. At that time he described his absence from Test Rugby, but was relegated to the bench for the three Tests on the Tour of South Africa that summer.
“After every session and every game, I did extra things because I wanted to be involved,” he said. “I even did extras after the last game of the summer tour because I wanted to prove a point. But now it works out why I was tired. I remember getting the odd heart palpitation, but I didn’t think about it because I was used to pushing my body.
“It was like the fall of 2022. I remember doing ‘Bronco’ [an intense rugby cardio fitness test] for the first time in a few years and my time taking the test was much worse than before. Now I wonder if that was because I could only work at 75 percent capacity. I am grateful to the strength and conditioning team that has followed me through this and still believed in me.
“You always hear about players whose legs are gone when their careers end. I started thinking: ‘Is this my time?’ There were frequent conversations with the head coach at the time about my future.”
‘They tried to do the right thing’
He admits that it left him in a dark place and was tough on his family too. The recall to the starting XV was only after Wales’ humiliating defeat of Georgia.
Warren Gatland’s return as head coach in January following the sacking of Wayne Pivac brought one final twist. The two had a frank discussion at the start of the Six Nations campaign in which the head coach told him he would be looking to reach new leagues, which was always going to happen at some point.
Jones said that was fine, but he was contracted until November and was desperate for whatever it took to make the World Cup squad. “I was grateful for that conversation,” Jones added.
Jones started Ireland’s and England’s victories, but the loss in the final round to France in Paris, when he was withdrawn after 47 minutes, was decisive. “I knew what Gats was expecting,” he admitted.
Jones was still named in Wales’ preliminary World Cup training squad on May 1 but says he was visited by Gatland and forwards coach Jonathan Humphrys the following day. “I knew what was coming,” he said. “They said my numbers were down.
“They wanted to do the right thing by naming me in the squad and then letting me retire on my terms. I understood why they were doing it that way. They tried to do the right thing, but I wish they had told me sooner. I would do everything in my power to put myself in contention to be selected for the World Cup. Now I know because of my condition it’s unlikely to have made any difference anyway.”
Jones is grateful for an outstanding career and everyone who helped and supported him along the way, including those who gave his final judgment. Surgery four weeks ago has dealt with his condition. He hopes his experience over the past two years will be a warning that will usher in more regular displays of heart from the Welsh players.
“There’s a lot of talk about welfare in rugby at the moment, but does that cover everything?” he said. “Are there only things we can give? Certainly the sport has come to the point where players should be screened more often, especially at a time when the demands in the game are increasing. I was very lucky how it worked out and I will forever be grateful to Toulon for signing me. If they hadn’t offered me a contract, I might never have known about the heart condition.
“Those four months in Toulon were as important for me as anything I had done before, physiologically and mentally. He called after me.
“Sometimes I forget how old I am because I’ve been training and playing at the highest level for a long time. I never really saw myself as anything other than a rugby player. Now I’m a full-time family man.”
