Alun Wyn Jones had no qualms about showing how emotional he was after his 12th successive Lions Test and fourth tour ended in defeat.
The series captain, who remarkably fought back from a dislocated shoulder to return to the 2021 squad, admitted in the aftermath of the deciding Test defeat to the Springboks that his Lions playing career was over.
"I'm never going to put this jersey on again, I am never going to have this chance again," he said post-match.
"Credit to South Africa, they won the game and I made a point to the guys that after, when we came together on the pitch, I said 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.
“I remember watching Jinks (Neil Jenkins) in ’97. So to be involved with him in Wales and to be out here with him is really special. Really special.
“I probably can’t put it into words, so I’m not going to try.
“You’ll probably get me going, I've already had a bit of stick for being overly emotional and you know, I don’t give a f**k if people think I'm over-emotional, that's what it means to me and I apologise for using language but you know sometimes it's easier to use the agent of a bit of raw language so I apologise for that.”
The Wales captain is adamant it would be a "travesty" if rugby were to ever lose the British and Irish Lions.
"In its most basic concept it is something that is very special and it ignites the imagination in children and adults and I think it is something that rugby has hung its hat on for a long, long time. It is very special and if rugby were to lose it, it would be a travesty."
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