Mike Phillips has been teaching fellow Wales legend Adam Jones how to speak Welsh and the Harlequins coach became tearful when the pair took a trip down memory lane.
The pair took part in S4C's 'Iaith ar Daith' a programme (which you can watch here), which sees six celebrities attempt to learn the Welsh language across the course of the series. In this week's edition it was Jones' turn as the iconic, frizzy-haired front row ventured across south Wales completing a plethora of activities with British & Irish Lions team-mate Phillips.
Being a fluent Welsh speaker, Phillips was assigned the role of mentor. Jones had been learning Welsh for four weeks and explained that he felt a jealousy of those who were able to speak it.
The 42-year-old has spent the last eight years living in London, coaching Quins in Twickenham. He went on to explain that being away from his home in the Swansea Valley has made him more patriotic, so he wanted to take that patriotism to the next level.
The pair met up at Nantycaws filling station (famed for a vibrant Welsh rugby mural outside the cafe), before moving on further into west Wales. Phillips' hometown of Bancyfelin came into conversation, which is also the hometown of Wales centre Jonathan Davies.
Phillips reminisced about the Lions tour of Australia in 2013 and the significance it had with his village, He said: "When the Lions played against Australia, there were more players from Bancyfelin than Scotland!" All of this was communicated in Welsh, and the pair shared a laugh afterwards.
The boys arrived at Folly Farm in Kilgetty where the Welshmen fed the lions and picked up poo with a zookeeper. Next on the agenda was a tug-of-war contest in Llanboidy with former Neath and Wales international Kevin Philips. Along with the 1977 tug-of-war world champions, the Welsh duo lifted a tonne cask with rope for practice, before taking part in a competitive contest, which Phillips' team won.
After day one, the comical duo headed for Trefechan near Carmarthen to complete a blacksmith crash course. The pair made an axe together and tested out their throwing skills at a log, missing every time but once.
On their way to Pontyberem, they looked back on the time Wales practised Calon Lan in preparation for the World Cup. Phillips joked: "When everyone did the haka, we answered with Calon Lan. Really scary stuff."
By this point, Jones was really starting to get the hang of speaking Welsh, with Phillips helping out with translations as and when the former prop was struggling. Jones sang Phantom of the Opera in Welsh, and was dressed in a hilarious shirt-and-tie top by Phillips, who watched on, absolutely loving it.
After getting a history lesson in Mynyddygarreg, the pair passed a mural to Welsh legend Ray Gravell outside the village rugby club. Phillips taught Jones how to say 'hero' in Welsh, as the scrum-half remembered Grav. He said: "He was so nice. A Mynyddygarreg and Welsh hero. A legend."
In transit to their next adventure, the next topic of discussion was the Wales v England game in 2013, where the boys in red won 30-3 against the odds to clinch the Six Nations trophy. Jones explained that even the England players were absolutely rocked by the Welsh national anthem prior to kick-off. He remembered: "When we sang the anthem, the band stopped and it was just the crowd. I was speaking with Tom Youngs and the England players during the Lions tour of Australia. They were saying it was spine-tingling because it was so loud."
To which Phillips replied: "Yeah, I have got a good voice."
From blind-folded driving in Glynneath and a luxury stay at lodges in Pontneddfechan, the trip came towards the end with a visit to Dan yr Ogof caves. Jones used to work there back in the late 1990s, so was assigned staff uniform, and gave tourists a Welsh-spoken tour of the caves.
The experience came to its conclusion in Jones' hometown in the Swansea Valley. The former Osprey pointed out where he went to Scouts, where his Dad lives and the village church where he used to sing. All the memories flowing back hit the big man right in the feels. "I got a bit emotional there, to be honest," he said.
"What made you emotional? You remember growing up?" asked Phillips.
"Yeah, I don't know." replied Jones.
"You've moved away, like me. We live away. You come back and remember your childhood," suggested Phillips, as Jones agreed, appearing to shed a tear.
The final leg of the journey concluded at a picnic bench at the village pub, where the pair shared a pint, reflecting on Jones' learning experience.
'Bomb' was hugely grateful to his former team-mate. He said: "Brilliant, thank you. I enjoyed seeing you again. I was a bit nervous about speaking Welsh, but I enjoyed it."
Jones was then gifted a present with an inscription saying: "The giant always carrying the ruck, to the field he goes again, everybody is behind you, the whole of Wales, and in your journey, pushing forward to learn the language even more."
You can watch the full 'Iaith ar Daith' episode here.
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