ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
REGISTER
LOGIN
ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
Monday Aug 9, 2021

Lions captain's emotions boil over in raw interviews following loss

Outgoing British & Irish Lions skipper Alun Wyn Jones was full of emotion following their narrow 19-16 and 2-1 series defeat to the Springboks on Saturday evening. Post match he was fighting back tears, and in the press conference it all boiled over. 

ADVERTISEMENT

After a late Morne Steyn penalty – yet again – won the series for the Springboks, the Lions were left wondering what could have been and where it all went wrong.

Morne Steyn’s fairy tale return to glory shows us just why we love sport

Sadly for Jones, this will be his fourth and final tour, ending in heartache.

The Wales lock – rugby’s most-capped player – fought back tears when asked about playing his final game for the Lions:

With a trip to Australia pencilled in for 2025, he used a forceful outgoing speech to remind team-mates of the importance of being selected.

“I’m never going to put this jersey on again, I am never going to have this chance again,” said the 35-year-old, who overcame a dislocated shoulder to face the Springboks.

“I made a point to the guys that whoever is on the next one, make sure you go as hard as hell because it is a very special privilege to be involved in.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I’ve already had a bit of stick for being overly emotional and I don’t give a f**k if people think I’m over-emotional, that’s what it means to me.

“Sometimes it’s easier to use the agent of a bit of raw language, so I apologise for that.”

Lions tours date back to 1888, with this year’s instalment – one of the most toxic in history due to off-field arguments and serious question marks about the on-field offering – in constant jeopardy due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gatland’s men were punished for not fully capitalising on a 1-0 series lead or their first half dominance in the decider.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jones reflected on the painful climax but was eager to avoid appearing bitter by adding to criticism of perceived tedious tactics and gamesmanship from the victorious Springboks.

“Credit to South Africa, they won. I’d set a pretty poor example if I was to start doing that now,” he said.

“I’ve played the game long enough to know that whatever I say people won’t be happy with, and people will pull it apart and take it out of context to fit their narrative. On a very basic level, I’ve got to set an example.

“We had our opportunities. To fall (narrowly) short probably hurts more than if it was a bigger loss.”

Catch up on the match highlights below:

Related Articles

  • 33 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: Brilliant footage shows old school...

  • 33 WEEKS AGO

    Crazy scenes as player deliberately kicks...

  • 35 WEEKS AGO

    Jokester has field day with Chris Latham's...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 1 DAY AGO

    Heart Breaking Six Nations Ending For Italy As Scotland Score Long Range Try

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Montpellier Number Eight Zach Mercer Outlandish Attacking Skill

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Damian Penaud Pulls Off a "van der Merwe" in Outrageous French Try

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Ireland Winger James Lowe With World Class Finish In Titanic Battle With France

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Sonny-Bill Williams Gives Irish U20 Star A Shoutout For Classy Offload

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 1 DAY AGO

    England and Ireland fans express disappointment in grand slam refereeing decisions

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    England Fullback Shown Red For Collision With Opposite Number

  • 4 DAYS AGO

    Springbok Flyhalf Back With A Bang In Huge Development For World Champions

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Shocking Scenes As Rugby Players Attacked Following Rivalry Clash In South Africa

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    A Look Back At Rugby’s Greatest Ever Film

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea Moment Of Magic In Super Rugby Aotearoa

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    'Armchair athletes' berate Arundell's seriously impressive bench press

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Worcester Warriors - The End

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Sevens magic as 'headed' try brings stadium to its feet

  • 8 WEEKS AGO

    Almost 35,000 have now signed petition to reverse new grassroots tackle laws

View All

Funnies

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Jonathan Sexton Fantastic Comeback Caught On Ref Mic

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Hilarious Footage Of English Players Post Leg Day Workout

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Mack Hansen leaves viewers in stitches with hilarious post-match interview mistake

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    A Look Back At Rugby’s Greatest Ever Film

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    "Talk Is Cheap" - Jamie Ritchie Responds To Dan Biggar's Pre-Match Comments

View All

Amateur

  • 10 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 10 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 33 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 33 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 33 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Youth and experience combine in an effort to repeat Six Nations upset

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Wales international releases emotional statement after being offered contract that isn’t enough to feed family

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea causes outrage with ‘throat slitting’ gesture

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Smith, Marchant and Murley released from England camp to take part in 'Big Game 14'

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Mack Hansen leaves viewers in stitches with hilarious post-match interview mistake

View All