By Paul Jones
Jac Morgan has gone from part-time rugby player to full-time prospect as potential Lions captain in the course of four years.
After his superb leadership of the Wales team so far at the Rugby World Cup in France, Morgan is the name on everyone’s lips.
So much so that he is now being mentioned as an outstanding candidate to skipper the Lions on their tour to Australia in 2025.
https://twitter.com/PlanetRugby/status/1706775654874628569?s=20
DragonBet have Morgan as one of the main contenders for the job at 8/1, behind joint favourites Maro Itoje and Owen Farrell.
The Aussies won’t want to hear that. They are still reeling from the 40-6 hammering Wales dished out to them in Lyon on Sunday night.
It was Morgan who started that rout when he sliced through the Wallabies’ defences early on to set up a try for Gareth Davies.
And it was Morgan who finished it by bursting over for Wales’ third and final try near the end to complete the Aussies’ humiliation and put Wales into the quarter-finals.
https://twitter.com/JordanWebber96/status/1706738578921795835?s=20
In between times, the Ospreys back rower showed leadership, shrewd tactical nous, and inspirational workrate to underline himself as the natural heir to Wales’ last World Cup openside captain, Sam Warburton.
Yet back in 2019, Morgan was only a semi-pro player, combining his work as a mechanical engineering apprentice with playing for Aberavon in the Indigo Premiership.
He eventually joined the Scarlets before moving on to the Ospreys.
Last summer he was actually left out of the Wales squad that Wayne Pivac took to South Africa for the three Test series, but battled his way back into the side last autumn, scoring a brace of tries against both Australia and Georgia, before playing in three games in the Six Nations earlier this year.
We put the focus on #ENG second-row Maro Itoje as @SBarnesRugby analyses the plight of the lock, saying now is the time for him to return to the peak of his powers pic.twitter.com/AdEudWxs4Z
— Rugby World (@Rugbyworldmag) September 26, 2023
“I was with Wales U20 in Argentina the last time the World Cup was played. I was still working back then, so I never would have thought I’d be here now,” he says.
A pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman – the same school Shane Williams attended – Morgan played at openside for Cwmtwrch from U9s to U16s. He then linked up with Amman United Youth before joining Premiership club Aberavon.
Wizards coach Jason Hyatt says: “We first met Jac when he was 18. He only had one question for us: ‘How do I make Aberavon a better place?’
“For an 18-year-old boy to ask that was significant. He didn’t want to know how much game-time he’d have, he didn’t want to know who he was up against, he didn’t want to know what we could do for him in terms of finance. His only concern was how he could help Aberavon to get better.”
Now, Morgan is busy making Wales better. In between the time it took for the Aussies to be rolled over, the odds on Wales lifting the Webb Ellis trophy went from 40/1 to 25/1.
Quiet man. Pitch-side I get the feeling he burns just as fiery as the loud boys. Head prefect type; but got to have a few tales? Ireland’s rugby fortunes seem to have coincided w James Ryan’s form + fitness. pic.twitter.com/2w0K7Fowcr
— Harry Jones (@haribaldijones) September 25, 2023
Next up is their final Pool C match against Georgia on Saturday week and then a likely quarter-final against Argentina, or possibly Japan.
After that, it will be back to Ospreys action for Morgan, who was born in Swansea before his family moved west and he ended up in the Scarlets academy.
Another season to build on his reputation for both club and country and to cement his status as the next Welshman to lead the Lions in succession to Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones.
Farrell appears to lack the discipline to be Lions captain, Itoje’s form has been flakey and while Ireland forward James Ryan will be a contender, everyone knows the true leader in Ireland is Johnny Sexton, who is due to retire after the World Cup.
https://twitter.com/EPA_Images/status/1705786776516718845?s=20
That leaves Jac as the master of all trades – Wales and Lions.
Odd on next Lions captain, 2025:
Maro Itoje – 4/1
Owen Farrell – 4/1
James Ryan – 5/1
Jac Morgan – 8/1
