Wales captain Jac Morgan says it’s “a massive honour” to have achieved “the pinnacle” of selection for the British & Irish Lions.
The 25-year-old flanker - who skippers the play-off chasing Ospreys in a must-win BKT URC clash against the star-studded Hollywoodbets Sharks on Friday night - is one of only two Welsh players picked for the summer tour of Australia, along with scrum-half Tomos Williams.
Morgan was in the air flying to Durban for the Sharks game when the 38-man squad was announced, so only found out the good news when the plane touched down, amid celebrations from his team-mates.
“It was a bit nerve-racking just waiting to land,” he admitted.
“When I found out, it was a little bit emotional.
“Everyone was clapping and cheering and, as soon as we got off the plane, everyone was coming over and congratulating me. That was quite emotional.
“Everything you do, you work hard with each other as a group, so to be able to share that with all the boys was pretty special.
“It’s a massive honour to be picked for the Lions and a proud moment for myself and my family with everything they have done and sacrificed over the years to help me get to this position. I have spoken to them and they are really happy.”
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Morgan continued: “Growing up and watching all the players from different countries who have played together for the Lions in the past, it’s the pinnacle of their career being able to be selected.
“So I am pretty chuffed and really grateful. I am lost for words in a way. It’s surreal.
“I didn’t really expect anything with the massive competition in the back row.
“I am looking forward to learning from everyone and carrying on improving as a player. It’s going to be exciting.”
Morgan’s coach at the Ospreys, Mark Jones, feels the back rower will rise to the challenge with the Lions and become an even better player for the experience.
“I think he can massively thrive in that environment,” said Jones.
“For six to eight weeks, he will be in and around players who have been on previous tours and in teams winning regular trophies domestically and internationally.
“He will draw an incredible amount of learning and habit building from that and pull lots of growth out of those conversations.
“There will be different coaching styles and the different challenge of Lions touring with two games a week.
“But I think Jac will thrive in that environment and only become far better for being in it.
“He will learn a lot from being in a Lions group - but, I’ll tell you what, they will learn a fair bit from him as well. He has got a lot to offer and add.
“He is a very authentic guy. His actions are very humble around success and failure. He treats them all the same. He is a very level guy.
“If you are a player or a coach who works alongside him, he gives you a great platform to work off. He never gets too emotional. He’s always very analytical. He also understands there are only certain things you can control.
“As a player, he leads by his actions. It’s a follow me mentality.”
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Morgan will now be looking to celebrate his selection by leading the 11th-placed Ospreys to the win they need in Durban to keep their play-off hopes alive (6pm kick-off).
It will be a big ask, with the Sharks having named a stellar line-up which includes Springboks Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi, Aphelele Fassi and Vincent Koch.
Morgan said: “It’s going to be a real tough challenge. The Sharks have picked an outstanding team.
“But it’s sides like that you want to come up against - being able to play against World Cup winners and test yourself at that level against a team like that and play out here.”
Coach Jones added: “We’ve got a Shark we need to get hold of. It's a pretty nasty shark with sharp teeth and we've got to get a pretty big hook on the end of the line.
“The boys are really excited about it because you want to test yourself against the best players in the best stadiums and all of that is coming to fruition.
“We've given ourselves a chance of qualification with two games to go, so let’s just make sure we give it our best shot.”
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