As far as Fridays go, this was a quiet one in the admittedly unpredictable world of Welsh rugby. Up until 2.25pm, that is, when Wales' Rugby World Cup preparations were turned on their head.
First Justin Tipuric announced his retirement from international rugby, not via the Welsh Rugby Union but through his agent at Win Sports Management, with the Ospreys following suit to confirm the news and pay tribute. That in itself was a seismic piece of news, but little more than an hour later things got even more interesting.
At 3.45pm, the most-capped player in the history of international rugby, Alun Wyn Jones, followed Tipuric's lead by calling it a day internationally a mere four months out from the World Cup.
READ MORE: Alun Wyn Jones finds the perfect words in touching farewell message to Wales
There is no doubt whatsoever both Jones and Tipuric will be remembered in the top echelon of Welsh internationals, up there with the likes of Phil Bennett, Sir Gareth Edwards and Shane Williams.
Between them, Wales are losing 265 caps of international experience which at first glance is a serious blow to their hopes of competing at the World Cup. At 37 and 33 years of age respectively, both men were coming to the end of the road anyway, but what is extremely strange is the timing of the announcement.
When Wales returned home from the 2019 tournament in Japan, Ospreys stalwart Jones was 34 and many expected him to call it a day back then. But, no, on he went standing at the forefront of the short-lived Wayne Pivac era, even earning a place on the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.
Some thought he would retire at the conclusion of his fourth Lions tour, but he decided to give it one final push to make it as far as the World Cup.
As far as Jones goes, the narrative coming out of the Wales camp for the past four years has centred around looking after the man from Swansea with the aim of ensuring he was in the best shape possible at the World Cup. Test rugby these days is almost solely geared towards the World Cup, with most coaches talking about four-year cycles.
With Jones calling it quits not far off the eve of the tournament, it does feel like the previous four years, or at least the last two, could have been used finding his long-term replacement. The 37-year-old has been a phenomenal servant for Welsh rugby, but it's perfectly reasonable to ponder why he has put his body through all this hard slog only to step aside so close to the tournament.
Tipuric is even more of a surprise given his performances have rarely slipped below an eight out of 10 for his country, and it's not pushing it to say he remains one of world rugby's best openside flankers.
With regards Wales' chances at the World Cup, Warren Gatland has more than enough depth at loose-forward with both Jac Morgan and Tommy Reffell now proven Test match players who will only get better.
So, why have both players called it a day this close to the biggest stage in rugby union? Well, only they can answer that question. However, there are many reasons why they may have felt now was the right time for them to pass the red jersey on to somebody else.
Firstly, the past year has been absolutely horrible for every regional rugby player in Wales, especially those who are out of contract. The well-documented standoff between the WRU and the four regions led to a contractual freeze which left a sizeable number of players in limbo.
There are players, some of whom are regional teammates of Jones and Tipuric, who still don't know where they will be playing their trade come September.
With wages being driven down at the four regions and playing budgets slashed, and the players very nearly striking ahead of Wales' Six Nations clash with England, Welsh rugby has hardly been a nice place to be.
Then there is the brutality of Wales' pre World Cup training camps in Switzerland and Turkey to contend with. Historically, these have consisted of a savage couple of months with high-intensity training to bring even the toughest players to their knees. With both players well into their 30s, do they want to put their bodies through that especially when there is no guarantee they would have been selected in the final World Cup squad?
Who knows? Only those in question can answer those questions.
Both players can look back on their international careers with immense pride, having played central roles in some of the greatest achievements Wales has ever seen.
How much of a blow is this for Gatland?
Well, their presence around the squad would have been hugely beneficial but you can't select players on experience alone.
In Jones' case, if everyone is fit there is no guarantee he would have got into Gatland's strongest 23, especially given the return of Cory Hill, while the time feels right for both Reffell and Morgan in the back-row.
Supporters will undoubtedly miss seeing two of Welsh rugby's greatest sons strutting their stuff in the red of Wales but all good things must, eventually, come to an end.
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