Alun Wyn Jones became the most capped international rugby player after he made his 149 Test appearance to surpass former All Black captain Richie McCaw.
The former Ospreys captain and Wales skipper’s incredible personal achievement followed on from being awarded the OBE by Her Majesty Queen in October.
We sat down with Ospreys teammate Dan Lydiate, who has known him for most of his playing career with Wales and the British and Irish Lions, and Toby Booth, the new Head coach at the Ospreys, who has only just started working with the second row.
Both men give their insights into the man who is not just an Ospreys, Wales and Lions legend, but who has cemented his name into rugby history as the most capped Test player of them all.
Dan Lydiate, Ospreys, Wales and British and Irish Lions teammate, said:
“He is not one for patting himself on the back and he is there to do a job and that is what Alun Wyn does best and why he has been at the top of his game for two decades now.
"It’s a huge achievement for himself and his family, and I am chuffed for him. They broke the mould when they made Alun Wyn Jones and there won’t be another like him.
"Many will try to emulate him but what makes that man tick? He’s like an onion, there are lots of layers to Alun Wyn that you have to peel back, but once you do know him. He is pretty special."
"He puts his body on the line week-in, week-out, and it’s just not when he plays the game but he trains how he plays. He will be the first in the kick chase and to every drill and that is how he does it. I don’t know how he does it, but he does it and that’s how Alun Wyn does it.
"He only knows one way and that is flat out, but there is a softer side to him that not many people get to see. He is a big family man, but when he is in work and crosses the whitewash for training, he is head on and that is what has made him who he is.
"He plays hard, but he does enjoy himself too. I think it’s harder for him to do that than most people. If he wants to go out for a quiet meal with his wife and family, he is one of the most recognizable people in Wales, as captain. So that side of it all is probably hard for him.
"My favourite memory of Alun Wyn is after the 2013 Lions tour, when the whistle went against Australia, we had won the game, and he was the first person next to me and we had a big hug. It was very similar to what Jonathan Davies said to him when Wales won the Grand Slam in 2019.”
Toby Booth, the new Ospreys Head coach, said:
“The thing that stands out, above all else, is the iconic leadership and leading by example. That was the impression I had of him before I met him and even those early conversations over Zoom that was cemented even further.
"You can see how much he cares for the organisation, the area and his people, and that manifests itself when you see him pull on the red jersey."
"He does exactly what it says on the tin. So from that point of view he epitomizes all of those things, but there is also a playful and softer side when you work with him on a daily basis that is very engaging and endearing.
"If you put all those things together, and what he does outside of rugby and the way he conducts himself, and you do all of them consistently, over such a long period of time, you get recognized by the Queen. And that should be recognized; you don’t get an OBE by accident.
"He has had a sequence of accolades, in the short time I have been here, and he is a very impressive person and individual, on and off the field.
"To have the durability in the position he plays and to deliver performances, week-in and week-out, year-in and your-out, in his position tells you something about him and how he looks after himself.
"He is as impressive off the field as he is on it, and it is an unbelievable achievement, but in the short time I have know him, I have to say I am not surprised he has achieved what he has.”