Retiring legend Alun Wyn Jones reveals his three toughest second-row opponents

Just four months before the World Cup, the 37-year-old Jones decided to retire from international rugby, having played an impressive 170 Tests for Wales and the British and Irish Lions.

Interestingly, his retirement announcement coincided with 33-year-old Tipuric's revelation of quitting international rugby.

Jones, who made his international debut in 2006 against Argentina, boasts an impressive record with 158 appearances for Wales and 12 Tests for the British and Irish Lions across four tours.

During his career, he led the Lions in the 2021 tour of South Africa and captained the team to victory in the 2013 Test decider against Australia in Sydney.

Having captained Wales 48 times, Jones played a key role in securing the 2019 Grand Slam and was named the Six Nations player of the tournament.

Beyond the international stage, Alun Wyn Jones enjoyed success with Ospreys, winning three league titles. Now, he is set to appear for the Barbarians, where he will face a World XV and his hometown club, Swansea, in an upcoming match later this month.

Born October 20, 1979, Limerick

Major teams British and Irish Lions, Munster, Ireland

Caps 115

Position Lock

The Irish second row was certainly blessed with special rugby powers having been one of the world’s leading tight forwards for more than a decade. A three-times Lions who captained the tour of South Africa in 2009.

Alun Wyn Jones said: "We got to know each other very well as team-mates with the Lions and opponents for our clubs and countries. You cannot shy away from how effective the guy was in his position.”

Did you know? O'Connell initially excelled at swimming and only started playing rugby at the age of 16

Source: The Rugby Paper

Born September 22, 1979, Newcastle, Natal

Major teams Barbarians, Blue Bulls, Bulls, South Africa A, Toulon, South Africa

Position Lock

The second row enforcer in South Africa’s World Cup winning team of 2007, this was a man you didn’t mess around with. Rounded off his career with three European Cup wins with Toulon.

Jones said: "He revelled in it didn't he. Physically he has to be up there. Let's just say he was able to keep the tradition going of the hardest of South African second rows."

Did you know? Botha is the only player in the history of rugby union to date to have won a hat trick of Super Rugby and European rugby titles

Source: Youtube

In the 2017 Lions tour, we witnessed a remarkable camaraderie develop between Maro Itoje, the superstar from England, and Alun Wyn Jones, the legendary Welsh captain.

Following the second Lions test against New Zealand, where Maro Itoje displayed exceptional performance, even the esteemed Welsh captain couldn't resist praising the young Saracens lock.

Post-game, AWJ joined in chanting "Oh Maro Itoje," a popular chant that had gained momentum during the tour, celebrating the outstanding talent and bond that had grown between the two players.

Born April 20, 1974, Sydney, NSW

Major teams Australia A, Barbarians, Bath Rugby, Brumbies, New South Wales Waratahs, Ulster, Australia

Caps 34

Position Lock

Harrison, who has a fierce feud with former England international Austin Healey, was almost better known for his larger than life personality than his rugby. A veteran of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, he spent the later years of his career with Ulster and Bath.

Jones said: "Away from the physical side, banter-wise it would have to be Aussie lock Justin Harrison. He was interesting to play against to say the least."

Did you know? He is currently the head of the Australian Rugby Union Players Association (RUPA)

Can you identify how many of the top 20 most-capped England rugby players you can name?

We've supplied the total number of caps and their respective playing positions for each player. Your task is simply to complete their surnames.

You have a 5-minute window to attempt to guess all 20 players.