For the final time, Alun Wyn Jones has, quite literally, hung up his boots.
The 38-year-old departed the pitch for the final time as a professional rugby player on Saturday, captaining Toulon in their 30-27 win over Clermont Auvergne. As he exited the arena on 66 minutes, he received a rapturous standing ovation.
After his side emerged victorious, Jones strode down the tunnel and into the bowels of Clermont's Stade Marcel-Michelin before taking his seat in the dressing room one final time. In a fashion befitting a player retiring from the game, he laced his boots together and draped them over his peg, with his Toulon shirt and Swansea RFC tie also hanging there.
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READ MORE: Alun Wyn Jones get standing ovation as he leaves the rugby field for the very last time
The boots, and the previous iterations of them which have seen so much during such a stellar career which has taken in almost 20 years of professional rugby, were strung up for the last time.
Jones posted the photo of his boots and Toulon jersey on social media after the game, including a particularly poignant reference to his father. "As a boy I dreamed of playing the game I love professionally, I lived that dream and today was my last," he wrote.
"ASM 27 v RCT 30. Thank you. Merci. Diolch. P.s. Dad you were here for it all!!!"
Alun Wyn's father, Tim, passed away in 2016 and the former Wales and Lions hero always credits him with having played a major role in his career. You can read our tribute to Tim Jones, one of life's true characters, here.
Jones had previously shared a photo of his "Toulon family" in the changing room, as he sat plumb centre with his three daughters in the front row. A proud moment he wanted to share with his own family and a wonderful memory for them all to share as the years pass.
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But after a career which saw him travel the globe, from his days with Swansea, his 18-year stay at the Ospreys, the fleeting stint with Toulon, his epic Wales career and those four Lions tours, Jones hopped on a plane, with his customary post-match aches and pains, for the final time.
Capping off his final day in the professional game, Jones posted an image of himself standing outside his private jet, with the simple caption: "Home time."
The most-capped rugby player of all time, Jones turned out 158 times for his country and earned 12 Lions caps. He also played at four World Cups with Wales.
