“Words fail me to express how proud I am of our performance.” So spoke Jac Morgan after Wales’ defeat against Australia (40-6), during their third group match. As a good captain, then. But if he wasn’t too modest, the third row could have spoken a little more about his individual performance.
Because it was capital letter. Author of a try (78th), decisive on that of Gareth Davies (3rd), omnipresent in defense, Morgan also distinguished himself with an incredible 50-22 found from his own 22 meters. All with an unconventional size at his position (1m80, 104 kg). Entrusting him with the armband at only 23 years old is a gamble from Warren Gatland, the coach, who returned to the job at the start of the year after a first long mandate between 2007 and 2019. Daring, when we know that the Leek XV has in its squad players as experienced as Dan Biggar (34 years old, 111 caps), Liam Williams (32 years old, 91 caps) or George North (31 years old, 117 caps).
Successful bet. Jac Morgan will undoubtedly be one of the players to watch in the quarter-final against Argentina, this Saturday in Marseille (5 p.m.). “He’s phenomenal. He had such an impact on the game, on the group. Wearing the captain’s armband didn’t make him move an inch. He’s someone important to us,” enthuses Jonathan Humphreys, the forwards coach. Scrum-half Gareth Davies is also full of praise for his teammate, voted Welsh player of the 2022-2023 season: “He can do everything. He’s a great player and an extraordinary captain.”
Despite his young age, Jac Morgan never disappoints. Standard bearer of the new Welsh generation who are trying to get the nation out of the doldrums of the last two years, the Ospreys flanker is gaining depth in a united group. As a symbol, his first outing as captain coincided with an important victory against England (29-10), in preparation for this World Cup, on August 5. Only 9 selections under his belt at that time.
However, it is difficult to say that everything has always been obvious to the native of Carmarthen, a town of just over 15,000 souls on the banks of the Towy. In 2019, he was still a mechanical engineer when the Welsh reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Japan. It was only during the 2022 Six Nations Tournament that he was called up for the first time. “Jac has his chance. We know he is very good with the ball and we will look to develop his game and see if we can help him improve,” said coach Wayne Pivac. Visionary… At the time, he admits to having thought about bringing the flanker for the previous autumn tour, before finally ruling him out. “We had a lot of competition for this position,” he says. We finally bet on Taine Basham. Today, Basham is a substitute, Morgan is captain.
For several years now, the player has impressed in the youth categories. “You could see it in training. Morgan picked things up quickly, Ioan Cunningham, his coach at Scarlets, where he played between 2019 and 2021, told WalesOnline. He knew how to handle an opponent who was falling to the ground and how he could win the race to pass the ball first .” Before that, the flanker had made his debut at local club Cwmtwrch, clearly more adept at bringing out young talent than vowels. His childhood idol? Richie McCaw, the legendary All Black with 148 caps and two World Cups won. “When I was growing up, he was the best flanker and played on an All Blacks team that pretty much won everything.”
When he joins the Ospreys in 2021, Jac Morgan has ambitions to grow with the Welsh internationals. “It’s great to have the chance to learn from boys like Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Dan Lydiate. I can only develop my game by working with players like them,” he declared upon his arrival. Considering his rate of progress, Jac Morgan has everything to become their equal. If not more.
