ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- At last year's PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Michael Block finally figured out he belonged in the field.

Playing a couple of holes behind a marquee group that included Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas at Southern Hills Country Club, Block posted a 3-over 73 in the second round with hundreds of fans watching.

"It was ten deep on every hole I played," Block said. "I shot 73 with everyone there. My [general manager] even said, 'That was you not being a club pro anymore.' So it was a big moment for me. I've kind of lived off that ever since."

Block, 46, is still a club pro at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club, a daily-fee course in Mission Viejo, California. But Block has proved in the first two rounds of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, that he's also one heck of a player.

While some of the best players in the world, including Tom Kim, Cameron Young, Sungjae Im and Sam Burns, are headed home after missing the cut, Block is sticking around to play the final two rounds this weekend. He is tied for 10th at even par after carding 70 in each of the first two rounds.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Block is only the second club pro to be in the top 20 of the PGA Championship after 36 holes in the past 20 years.

"I'm extremely comfortable," Block said. "To be honest, a couple of my friends in Orange County [California] are Beau Hossler and Patrick Cantlay. I've played a lot of golf with them now [and] they've become my friends. I understand where they're ranked in the world. I understand how my game doesn't quite get up to them, but I'm pretty darn close, and I can compete with them."

On Friday, Block was pretty close to grabbing at least a share of the lead. He birdied three of his first five holes and also No. 1, his 10th hole of the round, to move to 3 under, just 1 stroke behind the leaders. But then he had a bogey on No. 4 and a very untimely swing on the par-3 fifth. He shanked his tee shot and wound up with a double-bogey 5.

"I don't know," Block said. "I had the same swing I've had all week. It was a nice little 8-iron, front left pin. I love hitting baby draw with my 8-iron. I've done it well all week, and all of a sudden we've all been there, done that, and we look up, and I'm like, 'Oh, my goodness.' The ball was just going off, somehow hit the tree, almost killed somebody, and then comes off and goes in the deep rough. I was actually fortunate enough to make a double bogey after that."

Block has had an impressive career in minor circuits. He is the reigning PGA of America Professional Player of the Year. He tied for second at the 2023 PGA Professional Championship, which earned him a spot in the Oak Hill field. He set a course record at Arroyo Trabuco with a 59 in 2019. On April 17, he won the Stroke Play Classic at his home course and took home $1,600. He collected another $500 for finishing runner-up at the Pro-Pro Scramble at San Juan Hills Golf Club in California a week earlier.

Block says he rarely hits more than a bucket of balls a week. He spends most of his time giving instruction at $125 for a 45-minute session and $500 for a nine-hole playing lesson. Wherever Block finishes on Sunday, he stands to earn a nice payday.

It is his fifth appearance in the PGA Championship. He also played in the 2007 and 2018 U.S. Opens. He didn't make the cut in any of his previous starts in majors. He had made the cut in four of 24 PGA Tour starts, earning about $38,038.

Block's form has been good this year. In January, he carded a 7-under 65 in the first round of the American Express (he was in the field for winning the Southern California PGA section championship for the third time). The next week, Block beat both of the tour pros he was paired with during the first two rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open (he went 74-73).

"I've been gaining that confidence from those finishes in those rounds where I'm like, why not?" Block said. "Why not come here and compete? Why not here at Oak Hill, make the cut? I'm not afraid of them anymore, to be honest."

The best finish by a PGA club pro who advanced through the PGA Professional Championship was a tie for 11th by Lonnie Nielsen in 1986 and Tommy Aycock in 1974. Block might become the first one to finish in the top 10 in the past 40 years.

"As weird as it sounds, I'm going to compete," Block said. "I promise you that."

Like it says on his TaylorMade golf balls: Why not?

Foreign flavor

Americans have won each of the last seven PGA Championships. The last non-American player to win it was Australia's Jason Day in 2015. But there's a distinct foreign flavor to Oak Hill's leaderboard after 36 holes.

Canada's Corey Conners and Norway's Viktor Hovland, along with Scottie Scheffler, are tied for the lead at 5 under. England's Callum Tarren is tied for sixth at 2 under, and fellow Englishman Justin Rose is tied for eighth at 1 under. Austria's Sepp Straka is tied for 10th at even par.

No player representing England has won the PGA Championship since Jim Barnes, who won the first two tournaments in 1916 and 1919.

"I think historically I've won typically on harder golf courses than not, so I think it fits my profile from that point of view," Rose said. "Yeah, this is right up there. It feels a little bit of a hybrid kind of PGA-U.S. Open this week. Looking forward to the test, I think."

How far is too far back?

During the PGA Championship stroke-play era since 1958, according to Elias Sports Bureau, 63 of the 65 eventual champions were in the top 20 on the leaderboard after 36 holes. The exceptions were Collin Morikawa, who won at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco in 2020 (tied for 25th) and Padraig Harrington at Oakland Hills in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, in 2008 (tied for 26th).

Each of the winners of the six major championships played at Oak Hill Country Club was in the top three after the second round: Jason Dufner (first, 2013 PGA Championship), Shaun Micheel (tied for first, 2003 PGA Championship), Curtis Strange (first, 1989 U.S. Open), Jack Nicklaus (tied for second, 1980 PGA Championship), Lee Trevino (second, 1968 U.S. Open) and Cary Middlecoff (tied for third, 1956 U.S. Open).

That might be bad news for several of the top players in the world, including Adam Scott (tied for 30th, 2 over), Hideki Matsuyama (tied for 35th, 3 over), Max Homa (tied for 35th, 3 over), Xander Schauffele (tied for 48th, 4 over), Cameron Smith (tied for 48th, 4 over), Jon Rahm (tied for 48th, 4 over), Tony Finau (tied for 59th, 5 over) and Justin Thomas (tied for 59th, 5 over).

"It was a grind again," said Thomas, the defending champion. "It was a fight. Just got off to a poor start."

Headed home

Most of the big-name players who were in danger of missing the cut, including Thomas, Rahm and Jordan Spieth, rallied and moved above the line on Friday. There were a few notable exceptions, including Rickie Fowler (6 over), Billy Horschel (6 over), Matt Fitzpatrick (6 over), Tom Kite (8 over), Jason Day (8 over), Cameron Young (9 over), Sungjae Im (13 over) and Sam Burns (14 over).

LIV Golf League star Talor Gooch finished 10 over and also missed the cut. He came into the week ranked No. 63 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Gooch, a two-time winner in the LIV Golf League, needed a good week to crack the top 60 by Monday or June 6 to qualify for the U.S. Open.

Gooch earned a spot in the season-ending Tour Championship in 2022, which would have been enough to get him in the U.S. Open field in the past. But the United States Golf Association changed the language of that exemption this year to include players who were both qualified and eligible for the Tour Championship. Gooch wasn't eligible to play after PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan suspended him for playing in LIV Golf events without a release. He isn't receiving points in LIV Golf League tournaments, so he'll miss the field for next month's U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

Oh, Canada

It's about a three-hour drive from Rochester to Toronto, so there have been quite a few Canadian fans in the galleries this week. They've had plenty of reason to cheer so far. Not only is Conners tied for the lead, but Taylor Pendrith is tied for eighth at 1 under, and Adam Svensson is tied for 11th at even par. Adam Hadwin is tied for 35th at 3 over.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, only three Canadian players have finished in the top 10 of the PGA Championship: Graham DeLaet (tie for seventh, 2017), Mike Weir (three times) and Nick Welock (tie for ninth, 1936). Weir is the only Canadian man to win a major, at the 2003 Masters.

Moving day has been gooood for the ?? Corey Conners he is one of Day ✌️ co-leaders for the PGA Championship. Let's get hyped up for our fellow ?? with two days left to play. pic.twitter.com/UqAxTAPhCf

— Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) May 19, 2023

"It's been a pretty special week so far," Conners said. "I think being so close to Canada there's a lot of Canadian fans out here. They're cheering me on. That definitely feels good.

"Yeah, it's pretty exciting. Really close with both Taylor and Adam [Svensson]. It's fun to be part of the group of Canadian golfers right now. I think whether it's myself or one of them or the others, someone is making some noise every week. It's fun to be a part of."

BOSTON -- Over the past two postseasons, the Boston Celtics have repeatedly responded well after losses. They have also repeatedly struggled in close late-game situations.

In control for significant portions of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat on Friday night, the Celtics appeared poised to even this series at a game apiece, but another collapse has them staring at an 0-2 deficit.

Game 3 is Sunday night in Miami.

"At the end of the day, we have a real, real decision to make," Celtics forward Grant Williams said. "And that decision is going to be, are we going to come back and really set the tone for the rest of this year and really make a statement, or are we going to come out and lay down?

"And I don't think this team is built for laying down."

Whether or not the Celtics are ready to lie down, they find themselves in a massive hole after Jimmy Butler and the Heat once again took them apart in the closing moments of the game.

In the fourth quarter of Game 1 on Wednesday night, the Heat held Boston scoreless for over four minutes and forced three turnovers -- including two traveling violations by Jayson Tatum -- inside the final three minutes.

In Game 2, after Williams had a dunk with 3 minutes, 52 seconds remaining, the Celtics didn't make a field goal for the rest of the night, missing their final four shots and committing two turnovers. They essentially had a third turnover on a backcourt violation against Al Horford and saw Tatum nearly lose the ball multiple times late in the contest.

That allowed Miami to close with a 24-9 run over the final 6 minutes, 37 seconds. Butler scored nine of his 27 points in the fourth, and Bam Adebayo -- who had 22 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists -- had eight points, eight rebounds and four assists in the quarter, including a pair of huge offensive rebounds.

"This is a series of discipline and mindset," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said, "and there were times throughout the game where we weren't the more disciplined team."

For the Celtics, it is a familiar refrain. Against the Heat in Game 7 of last year's conference finals, Boston nearly coughed up a double-digit lead late. The Celtics have repeatedly struggled in these situations at plenty of other points over the past couple of seasons, as well.

Not surprisingly, there was no shortage of answers for what went wrong after this one.

"We just got to stay poised," said Jaylen Brown, who had 16 points on 7-for-23 shooting. "I think we get sped up at times. Two, we just play basketball. In those moments we got to come alive. It seems like we let the game slip away from us when we are in those situations."

Tatum, who had 34 points but committed five turnovers and missed all three shots he took in the fourth quarter, said, "We got to execute better. We have had double-digit leads in both games and a turnover has changed the momentum or offensive rebounds led to a 3 has changed the momentum. So those plays right when we're up 12, when we could go up 15, 16 ... they go on an 8-0 run and now it's at four, and now the momentum has shifted.

"So we've been up and we got to do a better job of making those, I would call them winning plays, in those situations."

There were times, as Tatum pointed out, that it appeared the outcome would be different. Boston went on extended runs in both the first and second halves to build double-digit leads on multiple occasions. Mazzulla made several notable adjustments that worked well, from plugging Grant Williams into the rotation to going away from a two-big lineup by starting Derrick White over Robert Williams III in the second half.

But Boston struggled to hit shots, going 10-for-30 from 3-point range. The Celtics are 29-30 in the regular season and playoffs when they shoot under 40% from long range, compared with 36-2 when they shoot 40% or better.

Combine that with another bout of struggles late in a close game, and the Celtics are now 11-4 over the past two playoffs when playing after a loss. Friday's defeat snapped a streak of 16 consecutive games in which a team that lost Game 1 at home had won Game 2.

Now trailing in the series, Boston heads to Miami knowing it will have to win four of the next five games -- three of which are in Miami -- to return to the NBA Finals for a second straight year.

"Just got to come out fighting," Brown said. "Both of these two games they have been able to come out on top, but who is to say we can't come out on top in the next two games? We just got to come ready to play basketball.

"We can't lose our confidence. It's the first to four. ... It should make for a better story."

BOSTON -- Miami Heat star forward Jimmy Butler has spent his life overcoming people who have slighted him, so it should come as no surprise that in the heart of a hard-fought 111-105 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night, Butler made forward Grant WIlliams pay for talking trash to him.

The pivotal sequence of the game came midway through the fourth quarter after Williams drained a 3-pointer to give the Celtics a 96-87 lead with 6:37 left. On his way back down the floor, Williams began jawing with Butler, who proceeded to smile and then responded by hitting his next shot and getting fouled by Williams for a three-point play.

After the basket, Butler immediately got head-to-head with Williams as the pair exchanged words and were each assessed a technical foul. From that point, the Heat closed the game on a 24-9 run and left Boston with a stunning 2-0 lead in the series. Butler admitted that the exchange got him rolling down the stretch.

"Yes, it did," Butler said. "But that's just competition at its finest. He hit a big shot, started talking to me. I like that. I'm all for that. It makes me key in a lot more. It pushes that will that I have to win a lot more. It makes me smile. It does. When people talk to me, I'm like, OK, I know I'm a decent player, if you want to talk to me out of everybody that you can talk to. But it's just competition. I do respect him, though. He's a big part of what they try to do. He switches. He can shoot the ball. I just don't know if I'm the best person to talk to."

Butler, who scored nine of his team-high 27 points following Williams' initial words, once again showed why he has been arguably the best player in the postseason by making clutch plays down the stretch. After the game, his teammates were surprised that Williams pushed their star player to that point, but they were glad he did.

"I knew it was going to be good for us," Heat guard Caleb Martin said. "Knowing Jimmy, at that point in the game, you get him going, we'll take mad Jimmy any time. I knew that you could kind of see it in his eyes that he was ready to go after that."

For his part, Williams defended his response to Butler, noting he wasn't going to back down from anybody on the floor.

"I think he said something and I just responded," Williams said. "I'm a competitor and I'm gonna battle. He got the best of me tonight, and at the end of the day it's out of respect, because I'm not gonna run away from it. My mom always taught me, and my dad as well, you get your ass kicked and you don't come back home until you come battle again. You either come back before you die or you come back and get a win, and I'm not willing to die in this finals. I'm ready to f---ing get a win. I'm ready to come back and come into Game 3 with a better mentality, and I know this team is as well.

"So at the end of the day, tonight is tonight. We've got to focus in and let this s--- hurt, but at the end of the day we've gotta come in tomorrow and really focus on what's next."

Williams said that he expected this type of performance from Butler whether he gave him extra motivation or not.

"You expect to beat the best no matter if I lit him up tonight or not he is going to do that," Williams said. "For me it's a matter of understanding, yeah, sure, you did 'poke a bear.' And how are you going to respond? Because for me, he made some tough shots. It's a battle. And I am going to keep battling. He's gonna have to make every single tough shot the rest of the series. I am not going to turn and look otherwise, because I respect him as a motherf---ing player."

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra just shrugged when asked about the showdown between Butler and Williams.

"Look, I love that gnarly version of Jimmy, but you get that regardless," Spoelstra said. "I just think people now are paying a lot more attention to him now that we've won some games in the postseason the last few years. Jimmy is just a real competitor."

Aside from the moment with Williams, what Butler and Spoelstra agree on is a mantra that has defined the No. 8-seeded Heat's run through the postseason -- no matter what challenges they face the group always feels like it will find a way to win.

"We see it every day in practice," Butler said. "On off-days, guys are constantly working on their game. Guys are constantly studying film. Guys just want to win. At the end of the day, that's all anybody wants on this roster. If you ask them to do something, as long as it's for winning, they are going to do it. Nobody on this roster is dumb. So they can tell whenever it's about winning and whenever you're telling them something, because the end goal is winning."

Spoelstra echoed a similar sentiment.

"Feels like this has just been our existence all year long," Spoelstra said. "I guess nobody is really paying attention. But we're in -- every single game, it felt like for weeks on end, every game was ending on the last-second shot, whether we're shooting it or the other team is shooting it.

"So you develop some grit from that. Whether that turns into confidence or not, sometimes you don't have the confidence. But at least you have that experience of going through stuff and you understand how tough it is."

ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.

Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina will face Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in her first WTA 1,000 final at the Italian Open in Rome.

Amid rain delays, Kazakhstan's Rybakina then defeated Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4.

She becomes only the third player in the Open era to reach the final of the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami and Rome in the same season.

Monica Seles achieved the feat in 1991, before Maria Sharapova followed suit in 2012.

Victory in Saturday's final would give Rybakina a top-four seeding at the French Open, which starts at Roland Garros on 28 May.

Against Ostapenko, the seventh seed started quickly, racing into a 4-1 lead before eventually taking the first set on her fourth set point.

The tables turned at the start of the second set with Ostapenko taking a 4-1 lead before multiple rain delays interrupted her flow, allowing Rybakina to win five successive games to wrap up the match.

Earlier, Kalinina, seeded number 30, had served for the match at 5-3 in the second set but Kudermetova won 16 points in a row to force a deciding set.

Kalinina, who is ranked 47 in the world and has never won a WTA Tour title, had beaten Beatriz Haddad Maia in a gruelling battle, lasting three hours and 41 minutes, to reach only her second semi-final.

The Ukrainian raced to a 4-0 lead in the third set to secure the win against Kudermetova, who missed out on the Madrid Open final to world number one Iga Swiatek.

Kalinina dedicated her victory to the people of Ukraine, stating her a bomb had recently exploded near a tennis academy that her parents run.

"It's really important to win every match, because of what Ukraine goes through," she said.

"I really hope that I give a tiny, small light, maybe some positive emotions for my country."

She did not shake hands with Kudermetova at the net, adding: "It is no secret why I did not shake, because this country attacked Ukraine."

Swiatek was forced to retire from her quarter-final match against Rybakina in Rome on Wednesday after picking up a thigh strain.

The Polish player has won the previous two Italian Opens and was on a 14-match winning streak in Rome.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep has been charged with a second doping offence over "irregularities in her athlete biological passport".

Her additional charge is separate to the one she is already suspended for.

Halep said on Instagram she feels "helpless facing such harassment" and denies the charges, suggesting she has been "a victim of a contamination".

The athlete biological passport programme collects and compares biological data to spot discrepancies over time that suggest possible doping.

Former world number one Halep's suspension last year was imposed after she tested positive for roxadustat, an anti-anaemia drug which stimulates the production of red blood cells in the body.

She criticised the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which is responsible for testing within the sport, for its handling of her case, arguing that there had been unnecessary delays in the process.

"I have lived the worst nightmare I have ever gone through in my life," she said.

"Not only has my name been soiled in the worst possible way, but I am facing a constant determination from the ITIA, for a reason that I cannot understand, to prove my guilt while I haven't ever thought of taking an illicit substance."

Halep added that she hopes to have the chance to prove her innocence at a hearing scheduled for the end of May.

The ITIA said it was continuing discussions with an independent tribunal team and with Halep's representatives to get the matter resolved as quickly and efficiently as possible, although did not indicate how long that would take.

Nicole Sapstead, the ITIA's senior director for anti-doping, said: "We understand that today's announcement adds complexity to an already high-profile situation.

"From the outset of this process - and indeed any other at the ITIA - we have remained committed to engaging with Ms Halep in an empathetic, efficient and timely manner."

In April, Halep spoke for the first time since her suspension, saying she was frustrated with the time it was taking for the case to be resolved but the ITIA said "the process is ongoing".

The investigations into failed tests by the ITIA are often a complex process, even more so when a player denies taking a substance knowingly.

It is not uncommon for these cases to take several months to be resolved.

In such cases, a player can produce evidence to either disprove or explain the failed test, which Halep claimed she had done.

This would bring further investigation and testing by the ITIA, leading to the process being further extended.

Halep, who was ranked ninth when the ban came into force, is one of the highest-profile tennis players to fail a drugs test, and the most prominent since Russian five-time major champion Maria Sharapova was banned in 2016.

La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara insists his side will relish the "lion's den" of a sold-out Aviva Stadium in Saturday's Heineken Champions Cup final against Leinster.

O'Gara believes his squad are ready for a hostile atmosphere in Dublin.

"There is a certain enjoyment factor when you go into the lion's den," said the Munster and Ireland legend.

"We will either grow or shrink."

La Rochelle needed a last-gasp try to beat four-time winners Leinster last year and O'Gara is hoping they can deliver another stellar performance as they look to become the first team to retain the title since Saracens in 2017.

"We have high standards and we have ambition to do something special in these players' lives," added O'Gara.

"We have the chance to play for each other in the final of a European Cup.

"It doesn't get any bigger and it doesn't get any better, we are here and we are ready to go."

'Daunting task' ahead in Dublin

The 46-year old admitted that Leinster having home advantage only increases the difficulty of winning the game, but has called on his players to rise to the challenge.

"We are in the home of Leinster, it is a really daunting task, but it is a great challenge and one that we want to succeed in," he said.

"It won't be easy, it never is easy, but we have prepared all season for this game and it is to be attacked as opposed to be feared.

"As a player I would have been damn nervous about it, as a coach I am extremely excited about it. Where else do you want to be?

"We realise how difficult it is, we understand the opposition and how good they are. It is going to be a belting match I hope."

O'Gara added: "Strategy has a role tomorrow, but the big emphasis for us is performing to our standards, having fun and challenging ourselves.

"I think all players need to be themselves, if they come into the environment trying to put a mask on or feel like it is hard work, they should be doing something else.

"You get one shot at this, it is rugby, it is meant be enjoyable and a very special time in your life and that is the message, we are very grateful for the opportunity."

Familiar surroundings

O'Gara was also keen to point out that this is a home final for him as he looks to add some new memories to the vast array he already has at Lansdowne Road from his playing days.

He is Ireland's second most capped player ever and the country's record points scorer, winning three Triple Crowns and a Grand Slam in 2009.

"It is a home game for me too, I have such great memories in this stadium," he said.

"The minute I walked through here again, I couldn't believe that I was here as you are in a time warp with being so focused [on the game]... when you step back, you realise it will be a fantastic moment and there is a lot to be proud of.

"Now is not the moment to be reflective, however, it is time to drive on and get the best out of our players."

Cullen keen to avenge 'painful experience' in Marseille

O'Gara's opposite number Leo Cullen has been boosted for the final by the timely return from injury of Ireland wing James Lowe.

Lowe comes into the side in one of 12 changes made by Cullen from last week's United Rugby Championship semi-final loss to Munster.

Cullen has heaped praise on his players' application in training before the European showpiece and hopes their efforts will be rewarded in front of a raucous home crowd on Saturday.

"You can't fault the lads, they have prepared unbelievably well this week and I can't wait to see them play and deliver something close to their best, that is all they can do," said Cullen.

"Pressure is a good thing, we all want to be here so it is the most positive pressure we could ask for.

"We hope to have a great turnout of supporters and that everyone gets behind the team."

Leinster are bidding to equal Toulouse's haul of five Champions Cup titles with victory on Saturday, having lost two finals since their last triumph in 2018.

"We were very close last year and it was a painful experience," admitted Cullen.

"To give up the lead right at the end after being ahead for the majority of the game, was an opportunity lost.

"Credit to everyone for getting to this stage again, now it is about delivering on the plan, not looking too far into the future and doing our jobs."

Wales pair Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric have retired from international rugby just four months before the World Cup.

His announcement came just an hour after 33-year-old Tipuric revealed he was also quitting international rugby.

Both Ospreys forwards had been named in Warren Gatland's 54-man training squad for September's World Cup in France.

The pair were Six Nations champions in 2012, 2013, 2019 and 2021 while Jones won the first of his five titles in 2008.

Jones, who made his international debut against Argentina in 2006, has played 158 times for Wales and 12 Tests for the British and Irish Lions on four tours.

He led the Lions on the 2021 tour of South Africa and was skipper for the 2013 Test-winning decider against Australia in Sydney.

Jones captained Wales 48 times, including the 2019 Grand Slam when he was named the Six Nations player of the tournament.

He has also won three league titles with Ospreys and is set to appear for the Barbarians against a World XV and Swansea, his hometown club, later this month.

'Special memories'

"Having been selected in this year's preliminary Rugby World Cup squad, and after ongoing dialogue with the coaching staff and the WRU [Welsh Rugby Union], I have decided to step away from the international game," Jones said on social media.

"So, after 17 years I look back on special memories with Welsh greats and future Welsh greats.

"My grandfather and father both nurtured my passion for rugby in my younger days which has continued throughout.

"The opportunity to be professional in the sport I love was a dream come true, and to represent my home region, the Ospreys, and clubs within the region, namely Mumbles and particularly Bonymaen, who guided me in my favourite years, was beyond special and something for which I am hugely grateful."

'Pillar of the game'

Wales head coach Gatland said Jones had been an "incredibly special" player during a "phenomenal" 17-year career.

"His leadership, dedication and determination are second to none, every single time he has taken to the training pitch or put on the red jersey," he said.

"Al's passion and commitment for his country are limitless and he has been an important pillar for the game in Wales. He leaves a lasting legacy in Welsh rugby."

Jones' announcement swiftly followed the one made by his long-time team-mate and close friend Tipuric.

The three-time Lions tourist has not given a specific reason behind the decision, but confirmed he will continue to play for Ospreys.

Making the shock announcement on social media, he said: "During the off-season I've had time to reflect on my career and now seems the right time to step away from international rugby."

Tipuric made his Wales debut in 2011 and was to become regarded as among the finest all-round players of his generation.

Having emerged from the shadow of Sam Warburton to finally make the number seven jersey his own, he went on captain Wales last year.

'Privilege'

He was a key member of the Wales team that reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2015 and semi-finals four years later. He was expected to appear at a third tournament this September having been named in Gatland's early squad.

"It's been a privilege to put on the Welsh jersey and have so many great memories," he added in the statement.

"I'd like to thank all the players and coaches that I've been fortunate enough to work with over the years and the wonderful support I've received from the Welsh public.

"I'm looking forward to spending more time at home and putting all my energies into playing for my home region the Ospreys."

Gatland described Tipuric as an "integral player" for Wales, who was never one for the limelight.

"He's quiet off the pitch, but his skill set and his work rate really set him apart from others," Gatland added.

"He doesn't like a lot of fuss, but he has made an outstanding contribution to Welsh rugby."

Ospreys said his decision to step down from Test rugby would be "sorely felt" by Welsh rugby.

"Known for his incredible work rate, agility, and rugby IQ, Tipuric has been an integral part of the Welsh national team for over a decade," the club said in a statement.

"He has become known as one of the finest open-side flankers in the game. He has contributed significantly to Welsh rugby's recent successes, including two Grand Slams."

Tipuric missed the last month of the regular domestic season with a foot injury sustained during Ospreys' Champions Cup defeat at Saracens in April.

Toulon overpowered meek Glasgow Warriors to claim the European Challenge Cup and give the retiring Sergio Parisse the perfect send off.

Glasgow never looked like becoming the first Scottish side to win a European trophy, despite Kyle Steyn's riposte, as Fijian fliers Jiuta Wainiqolo and Waisea Nayacalevu stretched Toulon's lead.

Sebastian Cancelliere and Steyn salvaged some pride for Glasgow, but Toulon fittingly had the last laugh as Ihaia West crossed with two minutes remaining to clinch the club's first Challenge Cup.

Toulon had heroic performances from Serin, Nayacalevu, Cheslin Kolbe and Charles Ollivon among a battalion of others, but all eyes turned to Parisse at the end.

The wonder man was excellent as he has been for practically every day of his extraordinary career.

The Glasgow fans might not have been minded to salute him, but everybody else in rugby would have done so heartily. He'll be exiting the game in the blink of an eye but the legacy? Sensational, absolutely sensational.

Glasgow were quietly confident that they could spoil the farewell, but it would have required them to turn up in Dublin to do that and they didn't. In body, yes. In attitude and accuracy and every last thing you need to win big finals? Nowhere close. They'll have a world of regrets over this drubbing.

In their absolute worst nightmares Glasgow couldn't have imagined such a grim final, a non-performance when what they needed was their greatest performance. They were an incoherent mess in going 21-0 down and a bit of a sad case as they toiled horribly to make a game of it.

They had huge chunks of attacking minutes in the opening half, masses of excellent field position, five metre scrums, five metre lineouts, overlaps and they butchered every one of them with a lack of accuracy, an outbreak of panic and some wretched decision making.

Glasgow needed a whole lot more than soft-touch rugby if they were to give themselves even half a chance of climbing out of the hole they were in, but a dramatic comeback never looked likely. Toulon just waited about in defence and waited for Glasgow to cough it up.

It all went so wrong, so quickly for the underdogs. Toulon had lost four Challenge Cup finals out of four - and lost Dan Biggar inside a few minutes - but before the first quarter was over they were screaming hot favourites to win this one.

Serin went off injured at the break but he'd done more than enough damage in the 40 minutes he played.

His first try was opportunistic brilliance, a subtle grubber through the narrowest of gaps in the Glasgow 22 and a quickfire pick-up and finish. Ruthless. And way too rapid for Glasgow. Serin's conversion make it 7-0 and the Scots were spooked.

Toulon made them suffer again soon after. Glasgow coach Franco Smith had made some monstrous calls in his team selection when leaving Johnny Matthews, his try-scoring hooker, Richie Gray, his lineout kingpin and Rory Darge, his back-row wrecking ball, on the bench. All three calls backfired horribly.

Glasgow's lineout was catastrophic. The great Parisse's try had its origins in an error out of touch by the Warriors, a ball slapped down and gobbled up Toulon. Parisse blasted over from close range.

Toulon fed off Glasgow's blunders and there was another at the lineout that led to a third score for the French. The thrower, the lifters, the jumpers were all at sea as the ball soared over the back to Charles Ollivon.

In the next wave, Nayacalevu thundered past Sione Tuipulotu in midfield. When they were in striking distance, Serin threw a dummy close to the Glasgow line and the Warriors bought it.

Over he went for his second score, over went the conversion and over and out went the cry from the Glasgow fans. At 21-0, there was no coming back. The only thing left to be decided at that point - and we were only in the 25th minute - was how bad was it going to get. Gruesomely bad, as it turned out.

Toulon were on a different level. It helped them that Glasgow lacked anything resembling composure and conviction when in good position, but the gulf in class was stark.

There was piling on the pain as it went on. Benoit Paillaugue lobbed over a penalty to take it to 24-0 and even when Steyn finished smartly down the short side to get Glasgow on the board, Wainiqolo danced over straight after.

Toulon were patient and powerful in their phases, just turning the screw as they went. The outstanding Nayacalevu got on the end of those inexorable passages of play, powering his way through a broken defence to stretch the lead to 29 points.

The Glasgow cavalry was sprung from the bench. Far too late. Cancelliere and a second from Steyn removed some of the ugly look from the score but it meant nothing, West's late try rubbed more salt in the wound in any event.

The final was long since done before all of that unfolded, the glory was all Toulon's. Parisse's, in particular. His last big day and he went out in the grandest style.

Line-ups

Glasgow Warriors: Smith, Cancelliere, Jones, Tuipulotu, Steyn, Miotti, Horne; Bhatti, Brown, Z Fagerson, Du Preez, Cummings, M Fagerson, Vailanu, Dempsey.

Replacements: Matthews, McBeth, Berghan, Gray, Bean, Darge, Price, McDowall.

Toulon: Kolbe, Wainiqolo, Vuidravuwalu, Paia'aua, Villiere, Biggar, Serin; Priso, Baubigny, Gigashvili, Tanguy, Alainu'uese, Du Preez, Ollivon, Parisse.

Replacements: Tolofua, Gros, Brookes, Isa, Bastareaud, Paillaugue, West, Sinzelle.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)

TMO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

"What a way to say goodbye to rugby."

The Italian great could barely bring himself to the leave the pitch, his country's flag draped around him as he took in every last second at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

One hundred and forty two Italy caps, appearances in five World Cups, two Challenge Cups, two French Top 14 titles and many great memories.

"It means a lot," Parisse told BT Sport after Toulon's 43-19 win. "It's difficult to put some words on emotions.

"It's good for the team, for me personally, it's important - I try to enjoy every moment with the team, and I'm really happy because I think we really deserve the win.

"I'm Italian, so I'm emotional in everything I do. Tonight it was about just trying to enjoy, and just happy to play with this group, and happy to finish my career with Toulon. Just enjoy it, and have a good night in Dublin with the boys."

Smith worked with Parisse during his debut season at Benetton back in 2002. Even in bitter disappointment at losing, the South African was full of praise for Parisse, who has been Italian rugby's totemic figure for two decades.

"He was a 19-year-old chap, and a young exciting guy full of skill, like he is now, but a bit more reckless with it I suppose," Smith said.

"And he's nurtured and challenged himself and looked after his body to be here 20 years later to be out there tonight. What a gentleman. We had a quick word with him after the game and he's an important rugby figure.

"I always say good people make good players and he's a classic example of that. He can be really proud he gave it his all until nearly 40 years old. What a way to say goodbye to rugby."

'I'm a bit sick of learning'

While Parisse and his team-mates lapped up the adulation from the stands, Glasgow were burying their heads after a hugely frustrating performance.

Their aim was to become the first Scottish side to lift a European trophy, but they never really came close. Toulon raced into a 21-0 lead as Warriors toiled, and a rally was too little, too late.

It added to the pain of losing to Munster in the United Rugby Championship quarter-final two weeks ago. A season of progress is tinged with what-ifs.

"It's a little bit frustrating," captain Kyle Steyn said. "I'm a little bit sick of learning, you just want to achieve now.

"But this is a really good group, we're lucky 96% of the group will be here going forward. But it's a massive learning curve - like Franco said, it's a completely different skill to win a final after getting there.

"That's the lesson. You've got to stick to your system and be accurate. In the Munster game and tonight we created lots of chances but didn't take them and Munster and Toulon did."