Sean Lamont has few regrets as he took his leave of rugby at Scotstoun, not even that he couldn’t quite get away from the tacklers on one last gallop down the paddock.
The 100-times capped Scotland wing hung up his boots after Glasgow’s 29-18 loss to Edinburgh in the 1872 Cup second leg, but he almost overturned the game on as a replacement with a run from his own half until his 37-year-old legs caught up with him.
“With younger legs I might have finished it, but I got to a certain point and thought ‘God, what do I do here?’,” he said.
“I can’t step anymore, unfortunately. If you asked me last year I would have said I could do another two, three seasons.
“Then all of a sudden this year, especially the last few months, maybe because I have a job lined up, age maybe, there’s definitely been a wind down and a realisation I’m done.”
Lamont’s new job hasn’t yet been confirmed – although it’s rumoured he will take the training and expertise in strength and conditioning which helped prolong his career into the Scotland 7s set-up – but he’s content to take his leave.
“The way I feel at this moment is that I’ve played my last game and I’m thinking ‘yes’,” he continued. “It’s not that I’ve grown to dislike rugby because I’ve loved every minute, the highs and lows. It’s just that I’ve come to a point where I’m ready to move on.
“I probably hung around a season or two longer than I should have. This year I’ve played a bit part and filled different roles. Gregor (Townsend) said I might only play ten games and I think I’ve played about 11.
“I was there for the club when I was called upon if there were injuries or whatever and I think that’s what allowed me to find my role and peace of mind. It’s helped me come to terms with it.”
And the response of the Warriors fans to his departure was especially touching, raising £5000 in just ten hours for charity (the total is expected to be around £8000) when he asked them to sponsor him dyeing his hair back to the bleached blond of his youth.
“I really want to thank the fans, not just for the money they’ve raised, which just shows what the club means to them,” he said.
“When I was at Glasgow the first time around 1200 would be a good crowd. Now we’re playing in front of seven and a half thousand sellouts, some semi-finals and European games it’s been 10,000.
“It’s been heartwarming to see it grow, they make noise, they heckle the ref and the players and other teams will tell you it’s a daunting place to play. And we generally play a good brand of rugby.”
And he thinks that outgoing head coach Townsend will be a huge success with Scotland.
“I’ve not always seen eye to eye with the boss but if I’ve pushed him half as much as he’s pushed me then he’s going to be a hell of a coach at the international level,” he said.
“He is so detailed in everything he does and that’s why he’s had such success here. We were a team going in the right direction but Gregor coming in really put a focus on what we can achieve.
“Winning that Pro12 title is certainly a career highlight for me on the domestic side of things and not far off being a career highlight in total.
“And your first cap for Scotland never goes away even when you’ve won 100. Unbelievable. To take the field for your nation, there is nothing higher than that.”
