Alun Wyn Jones: His Relentless Rugby Routine, Family Pride and Stepping Away from the Game (E334)

Jake Humphrey (0:00)

We're excited to introduce Goldmines, a brand new podcast by High Performance, hosted by Olympic legend Jessica Ennis-Hill. Watch or listen before anyone else on the High Performance app, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Alun Wyn Jones (0:14)

You know, there's no such thing as satisfaction. It was always, I wanted to win a World Cup, I wanted to win a European Cup, I never did that. But actually, if you can work harder than the next person, that is a talent, that is the ultimate talent, because it gives you the ability to learn and work on anything. You know, we talk about legacy and how you want to be remembered, well, you know, I'd be happily remembered as the son of my father. I think high performance, if you think you've achieved it, you're not high performance. High performance doesn't stop.

Jake Humphrey (0:42)

That is the voice of Wales and Lions legend, Alun Wyn Jones. Look, the numbers and the stats tell you that we're having a conversation with a true sporting great, the world's most capped rugby player. And of course, myself, Jake Humphrey and our expert Damian Hughes, we'll cover all of that. We'll talk about his personal sacrifice, why he hates the word culture, his famous speech to his fellow Lions, and how he failed to enjoy his achievements in case they dulled his ambition. We go so much deeper, Damian.

Damian Hughes (1:10)

Well, we do. We talk to the person and not the player. We talk about how the birth of his daughter has helped give him a sense of perspective. We speak about carrying the weight of his father's legacy and how that helped define him. And then we speak about the shadows that he's had to navigate his way through as he enters this second chapter of his life.

Jake Humphrey (1:29)

Yeah, look, this is, as I guess is often the case on High Performance, not what you'd expect. Alun is a true sporting warrior, but he opens up, as he admits, in a way that he couldn't and wouldn't during his playing career. And do stick around to the end of today's show as we've got a short but helpful chat for anyone listening to this who's keen to grow their business overseas, because we've teamed up with the UK Government Department for Business and Trade and their free training programme, the UK Export Academy. And at the end of this episode, I speak to an expert who might just change the game for your business globally. But right now, on with the show as we welcome to High Performance, Alun Wyn Jones. Alun, welcome to the show.

Alun Wyn Jones (2:16)

Thanks for having me.

Jake Humphrey (2:17)

How do you feel about these kinds of conversations?

Alun Wyn Jones (2:20)

I think I said earlier, I'll let you know after we finish chatting, but after a little bit of breakout, after the game, probably willing to do a bit more. When I played, I was fiercely protective about myself and the team and what I tried to represent on a personal level. But I think you get to a point where you want to share a bit more and these are opportunities to do it.

Jake Humphrey (2:41)

Talking about sharing a bit more, we want to go back to your upbringing. What do we need to know and understand about your childhood to get a better understanding of the man that you are today?

Alun Wyn Jones (2:51)

How long we got? I think when I was a kid coming up, I was a son to a mother who was a teacher from a family of teachers. My father was a solicitor, both with high work ethic, which enabled me to have a lot of opportunity. When I was coming up into sport, I did everything, sailing, football, rugby, you name it. I had a crack at it. So I was very fortunate. I quickly found out that I was too big, too slow and not as delicate a touch as I needed for football. So rugby was sort of the natural progression. And I didn't really look back probably from about 10, 11 on the rugby side of things. But I'm a big believer as a child, you need access to all sports, and that's what we're trying to do with our kids now. To have that foundation of trying lots of things was the opportunity for me to hone down. And obviously my sort of biology suited rugby as well. And it was a natural fit and I, like I say, didn't look back.

Jake Humphrey (3:57)

So I know you, as you said, you grew up in a house with a fierce work ethic. How did that inform your behaviour in your career?