Jack Morgan will captain Wales alongside Dewey Lake at the World Championship. Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers
Fans always know when they've lost a precious player, so when Jack Morgan left for the Ospreys, the main reaction from Scarlets fans was desperation.
“An absolute future star and could be the backbone of the back row for 10 years,” read one disgruntled comment. So, two years later, Morgan, just 23, is co-captain of Wales at the Rugby World Cup.
The collection of talent that Wales has built on the open flanker over the last 20 years has been staggering, and Morgan is the latest to roll off the assembly line. Being a great fluid creator is now almost a requirement for the position after the work of Sam Warburton and Justin Tipurik, but Morgan has that in his locker and more. His powerful tackle against Tom Pearson during the first warm-up match of the summer, knocking down an England flanker, inevitably drew comparisons to Gavin Henson's tackle against Matthew Tate years ago.
BIG HIT IN RUGBY in yesterday's match between Wales and England from Jack Morgan.
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here's a tackle break, the first hit was helped by Wainwright, who helped distribute Pearson's power, but excellent technique from the Welsh flanker and the captain. pic.twitter.com/tnoJliLUa4
— Ben John (@therugbytrainer), August 6, 2023
Back in 2011, a neck injury to Matthew Rhys, captain of Wales during the Six Nations, forced Warren Gatland to rethink the situation. who would lead the New Zealand team, turning to the then 22-year-old Warburton to lead Wales in the World Cup.
The decision worked quite well, even despite Warburton's controversial red card in the semi-finals against France, as it ushered in a new era of success for Wales under Gatland, including the 2012 Grand Slam. Rhys' waiver was only confirmed in mid-August as Wales had little time to adapt, while 12 years later Gatland was at least able to shape Morgan and Dewey Lake, Wales' other co-captain, throughout the team's training. camps in Switzerland and Turkey this summer.
Toby Booth, head coach of the Morgan and Lake teams at the Ospreys, notes that there are differences in their leadership styles.
Osprey has produced quite a few Welsh captains and they all have one strong leader . the trait that they lead by example first. They really do. In terms of effort and intensity, they would always ask someone to do something they wouldn't do themselves. That is a lot of respect,” Booth told Telegraph Sport.
“Jake is a silent killer”
“Devi and Jacques are different personalities, one of them is much more sociable. Jack is a bit of a silent killer. He is very respectful, thoughtful, but at the same time a person who will fight for every moment of every game.”
Morgan's interactions with the referees are seen as another positive after Wales took the referee with them to their camp in Turkey to help with training. “[Morgan] asked good, positive questions without being aggressive. It was probably an indicator that we made the right choice,” said Wales head coach Warren Gatland. Morgan's previous experience as Welsh Under-20 captain certainly helps, as does a number of senior team leaders who played in a third or even fourth World Cup, as was the case with George North and Taulupe Faletau.
Prior to this victory over England in Cardiff, Morgan had often been a bright spot in the Welsh's desperate defeats at the end of the Wayne Pivak era, impressing against Georgia and Australia last fall after being left out of the South African summer tour. . The explanation for this omission was that Pivak wanted Morgan to gain more mass.
“The reasons he was given [why he wasn't listed] weren't really the same,” Booth adds. . “It was his physicality and his impact on the breakdown – in terms of losses he was in the top three in the United Rugby Championship that season.”
“It was about being able to see the full pre-season where most of your physical progress will happen. His work ethic is exemplary, and by November he had become Jack Morgan, but with more determination not to give up his seat. His attitude came to the fore.”
While Morgan is capable of covering the backline, Gatland has made it clear that he sees the player as an open line. In Tommy Reffell, he has a great rival for the shirt.
Declining to continue his studies in mechanical engineering as a teenager proved to be a wise decision for the new Wales captain. If Wales succeed, the comparisons to Warburton will be relentless.
“Sam had incredible ball possession and the interesting thing for Jacques is that I think we still have a lot of room to go in that area,” Booth acknowledged. . “He differs from Warburton in that he is good on both sides of the ball. People talk about his size (5ft 11in) but he has power.”
Wales will need him to succeed in both of these areas when their campaign against Fiji in Bordeaux begins.
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