SEAN Lamont hopes to keep on working in rugby now his playing days are over, but he has insisted any new job will not be at Glasgow Warriors, saying “I couldn’t coach my mates”.

The winger made his final appearance off the bench in Saturday’s 29-18 defeat by Edinburgh - a game that also saw farewells from other players such as Gordon Reid and Sila Puafisi, as well as from head coach Gregor Townsend. Lamont was disappointed to leave on a losing note, of course, but at 36 he is convinced that the time is right to hang up his boots.

His next move will almost certainly be into strength and conditioning - and having enjoyed such a long career he is sure to have a lot of good advice to younger players about looking after themselves. He is not sure yet where his first job will be, but he is positive it will be away from Scotstoun.

“Nothing is confirmed yet,” said Lamont, who won 105 caps for Scotland as well as playing over 100 times for the Warriors. “It wouldn't be here at Glasgow. Hopefully within Scottish rugby, that's the masterplan, but nothing is set in stone yet.

“I couldn't coach my mates. I've always been kinda to my own schedule, so the crap they would give me if I told them to do something, things I didn't use to do myself, that would be difficult! It's a poacher turned gamekeeper, but I'm looking forward to it.

“I've enjoyed my career. I really have. If you asked me last year I would have said I could do with 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, I don't know, there's definitely a wind down and a realisation I'm done.

"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. I think the fact it was my decision to do an extra year has made it okay. I've played a bit part and filled different roles.

“Gregor said I might only play 10 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."

Lamont bleached his hair for the occasion, just like his style of a decade ago, in response to a charity appeal by Warriors fans. He said he would go ahead with the new style if they raised £5,000, but they quickly surpassed that total.

“I really want to thank the fans,” he said. “Not just for the £8,000 they've raised, which is a fantastic achievement by them. They raised five grand in ten hours, which just shows what the club means to them.

“When I was at Glasgow the first time around 1,200 would be a good crowd. Now we're playing in front of seven and a half thousand, 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.”

While Lamont can expect to have some free time before taking up a new post, Townsend was straight into his new job as Scotland coach yesterday, watching the match again a couple of times as he finalised his squad for the summer tour to Singapore, Australia and Fiji. The ex-winger is convinced that his old coach has what it takes to succeed as a national coach, and unsurprisingly picked the 2015 PRO12 title win as the highlight of his time as a player under Townsend.

“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 helluva coach at the international level. 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. I've loved every minute come rain or shine. As much as I say it hasn't sunk in yet, at this point in time I’m happily retired.”