Dafydd Jenkins insists his Wales teammate Jac Morgan is the man who can deliver the team to seven’s heaven on Saturday.
Jenkins believes Morgan will prove himself as the best No.7 in British rugby when the Guinness Six Nations reaches its final round with a clash against England.
Despite Wales enduring a winless Six Nations campaign so far and facing the threat of finishing at the bottom of the table for a second consecutive year, Morgan has been in electrifying form.
Leading from the front as captain, Morgan tops the tournament’s tackle statistics with 73 and ranks second for defensive ruck involvements, consistently setting the standard in a struggling Welsh side.
His performances have undoubtedly thrust him into serious contention for British and Irish Lions selection, and when England step onto the Principality Stadium turf, Wales know they can count on yet another immense display from their talismanic skipper.
"He is an incredible player. He is a class bloke, very humble, and someone I love playing with and playing for," said Jenkins, who partners him in the Welsh pack.
"You always know he is going to give everything, and you always know he is going to be one of the best players on the pitch, whoever we are playing against.
"Having people like that – Jac, Taulupe (Faletau), Tomos (Williams) – it does help the team forward. They are special players.
"For me, Jac is the best seven in Britain at the moment. If you are talking about a Lions tour, in my opinion he’s on there for sure.
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"Seeing Jac doing special things really inspires you to think we do have the sort of team to start winning games and hopefully win championships in the future.”
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While England remain in the hunt for the Six Nations title, Wales find themselves locked in a direct battle with Italy to avoid finishing at the foot of the standings.
Their miserable run has seen them lose their last 16 Test matches, including 10 consecutive Six Nations defeats since overcoming Italy in March 2023.
However, history suggests they often rise to the occasion against England in Cardiff. Since the inception of the Six Nations, Wales have won nine of their home encounters against the English, losing seven, including warm-up fixtures for the World Cup.
Jenkins understands the magnitude of Saturday’s fixture, both in terms of national pride and personal bragging rights at club level.
"It’s huge. I think if I go back to Exeter with a win I would be a lot happier in terms of you can start ripping into a few of the other boys!
"I have taken my fair share off them now, so it would be nice to hand out a bit.
"This is the game you dream of playing in as a kid. Pretty sure they (England) can win the championship, so we can’t be having that in Cardiff.
"I probably started watching rugby properly during the 2011 World Cup, so seeing Wales have success there really inspired me to go on and play and want to be in the Welsh jersey in these big games against England.”
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Under interim head coach Matt Sherratt, Wales have shown glimpses of attacking flair and creativity, particularly in their spirited performances against Ireland and Scotland.
They pushed the Irish all the way in Cardiff before staging a remarkable late surge in Edinburgh, securing two losing bonus points after trailing 35-8 with just 20 minutes left on the clock.
However, Jenkins acknowledges that despite these positive moments, results remain the ultimate measure of success.
"We are close (to winning games), but at the end of the day the only statistic that matters is the final score," he said.
"I think England were getting a bit of stick about the way they played, but they are winning games, so it’s a huge credit to them and something we would rather be on the right side of.”
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