In words that were bafflingly humble, Sam Jones opened up in an interview in the Wasps matchday programme on Sunday and said: “I feel guilty that I haven’t been able to be more transparent about my injury.” In one of the most unfortunate ends to a rugby career, though, guilt is not an emotion with which he should be remotely acquainted.

Jones did not just do the programme on Sunday, he was also presented on the Ricoh Arena pitch. It was his formal goodbye and the first time that he had been out on the turf in front of the crowd since October 2, 2016. On that day, he had played 80 minutes in Wasps’ 47-18 Aviva Premiership victory over Harlequins. That was the last