If you wanted further evidence of just what a special character Alun Wyn Jones is, it came with his final act as Lions captain.
The Wales skipper is devastated after being ruled out of the tour to South Africa with a dislocated shoulder.
But he put the personal hurt to one side to hand out Lions caps to the rest of the squad and give his own rallying cry to the other players ahead of their three-Test showdown with the world champion Springboks.
READ MORE: Alun Wyn's last selfless act as Lions captain
Alun Wyn's emotional words almost even moved Lions tour manager Jason Leonard to tears.
However, while the rest of the Lions headed on to South Africa, for Alun Wyn it is a return home to Wales as he looks to recover from the injury that has wrecked his own plans.
Alun Wyn, and Wales team-mate Justin Tipuric who is also out of the tour, are said to be philosophical about what has happened to them with injury part and parcel of rugby.
But you don't often get the chance to captain the Lions, so for Alun Wyn it's a particularly severe blow.
He has already offered new skipper Conor Murray full support, saying he will always be on the end of a telephone in Wales if the Irish scrum-half needs any advice or assistance.
But what about support for Alun Wyn himself, given the crushing nature of his news?
Comment below with your own message to help lift his spirits.
Send your message of support to Alun Wyn below in our comments section
Will he bounce back from this blow and lead Wales in their autumn campaign at the age of 36? Springboks legend Victor Matfield says he played his own best rugby when he was 37, so there's real hope there for his fellow second row great?
What did you make of Alun Wyn's final selfless act to his Lions team-mates?
And how badly will the Lions miss his inspiration, on and off the field?
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