Alun Wyn Jones: Wales legend reveals he played through heart condition late in career

The 38-year-old said doctors at Toulon found his heartbeat ‘was like a galloping horse with six legs’ but took the ‘risk’ to keep playing

Alun Wyn Jones announced his international retirement in May (Getty Images)

Former Wales and British & Irish Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones has revealed he was diagnosed with a heart condition in the final months of his rugby career.

Jones joined French club Toulon in July on a short-term contract, which ended in November. He had previously announced his retirement from international rugby in May.

The 38-year-old told The Telegraph that his heart condition was only discovered when he underwent a full medical check at Toulon.

He said that doctors found his heartbeat “was like a galloping horse with six legs” – although he decided to play for the French club for four months.

He was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, which “is a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate”.

Jones, who is the most capped player in world rugby history after making 158 appearances for Wales and 12 for the Lions across a 20-year career, has three young daughters but said he wanted to make the most of the “opportunity”.

Jones discussed his condition with his wife Anwen before committing to playing with Toulon. He had surgery on his heart after he stopped playing in November.

“I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation,” Jones told The Telegraph. “It was discovered when I underwent a full medical check, which included an ECG test, when I joined Toulon in July.

“There is a lot of talk about welfare in rugby at the minute, but does that cover everything? Is it just things that we can afford?

“Surely, the sport has come to the point where players should be screened more often, especially at a time when the demands in the game are growing.

“Had [Toulon] not offered me a contract, I may never have known about the heart condition,” he added.

“The cardiac doctor picked it up straight away. My heartbeat was like a galloping horse with six legs. It was all over the shop.”

Jones said he took medical advice before deciding he would go ahead and play for the French side, admitting it was a “risk”.

“The things that bring it on for someone my age are likely to be cardiovascular exercise and stress, it occurs in sports like rowing and endurance sports, but it was a shock because throughout my career I have always prided myself on my fitness,” he added

“I have always been so committed to doing extras after matches, constantly working on my fitness and recovery from injuries.

“We acted on medical advice from a rugby point of view.

“There was a risk, but I was prepared to play for Toulon. Anwen and I had a conversation as husband and wife and I said, ‘I have come this far, if I drop, at least I will be doing something I love’.

“It might seem a selfish decision given that I have three young daughters, but I needed to take the opportunity.

“It was only going to be for four months, and it gave me an opportunity to experience and get perspective on my career and life.”