Alun Wyn Jones

“I like to think I am a happy angry person, if that makes sense.”

“What you put in, you usually get out. If you are not good enough on the day, fine, but if you put in everything you have, you usually get a decent result. When you lose, it motivates you to go again, not dwell on the past.”

“Going out there as a forward can shorten your career somewhat, whereas if you go out as a back, you will be OK.”

“Whatever you do, whether you're a journalist or a player, you want to see what you can do - that's why you're doing it.”

“There are real people on the pitch. We're not commodities. Well, maybe we are to some degree, but it's the team which creates business. Some people don't appreciate that.”

“You're not going to please everyone, but then, it's not about pleasing people: it's about winning rugby games.”

“If you had a global calendar, then you would have less games; you create more intrigue, create supply and demand with regards to the sport, and that will heighten the intrigue with regards to the Lions. Create more mystique not only at international level but at club level as well.”

“I'm in no position to tell a fan how to support us. What I'd say is keep doing what you're doing; it means a lot to the team.”

“I'm very fortunate I've got a good support network.”

“I'm happy in what I do, and I just like cracking on, doing what I love. The people around me know who I am, and that's what means the most.”

“There's always going to be questions asked where there is competition, and as long as you can answer those questions, then you're deserving of a place.”

“We don't want Welsh rugby to be seen as healthy or upbeat. If we think that, we could become complacent or stagnate.”

“Welsh rugby has done its dirty washing in public. It's nothing new. We're a tribal bunch. If warring parties want to sway public opinion, they do it in the public arena.”

“I'll look back on my career as a whole and at parts of it and say I should have enjoyed that more. I suppose that's my own fault.”

“I was watching the Five Nations as a kid, I'm very fortunate to have been able to pull the red jersey on a few times, and now I'm able to assist the team, assist the young players coming through, and help the guys who do have the ambition to play more for Wales.”

“It is very easy to make athletes, and it is very difficult to make rugby players with that rugby instinct. I would like to think I have got a bit of rugby instinct and have become more of a rugby athlete along the way.”

“Every cap is my first, and every one is my last... that's the way I look at it.”

“To a point, family does that and a couple of life experiences both positive and negative that have definitely altered my perception on rugby. Whereas my first 28-29 years, rugby was the entire focus, which was not that healthy, now you realise what is really important.”

“I've got it all: I'm good-looking, I'm educated, I can sing, and I can play rugby. Ridiculous, isn't it?”

“I usually don't talk for three days after a defeat. Then you have an epiphany and realise it's just a game.”