‘Magnificent’ Morgan

When you speak to people in the game about Jac Morgan, the superlatives come thick and fast. World class, tremendous, brave, committed, powerful, tenacious, physical – you can take your pick really.

We’ve had to wait a while this season to see those qualities out on the pitch, with the Ospreys and Wales flanker sidelined for more than four months by a dislocated shoulder.

But he has really hit the ground running in his four appearances since returning to action, culminating in a try scoring Player of the Match performance in last Saturday’s URC victory over the Hollywoodbets Sharks.

The 26-year-old Ospreys skipper will doubtless be a pivotal figure once again in Friday night’s huge Welsh derby clash with fellow play-off hopefuls Cardiff Rugby at the Arms Park.

He may be heading for Gloucester at the end of the season, but he is clearly determined to go out with a bang and give his absolute all before leaving.

“That sums him up as a bloke and as a player really,” says Wales legend Shane Williams, who was commentating on the Sharks game for Premier Sports. “He is always committed, always plays well and always fights for the cause. What he does is he leads from the front as captain and it brings out the best in players around him. They look at him and think if he is doing that I need to get on his toes and keep up with him and get involved.

“His tackling, his ball-carrying, his tenacity, his work over the ball, even his kicking. He has got it all. He just doesn’t stop. He is brave as well.”

Fellow Premier pundit Tom Shanklin added: “He is a power athlete. He’s not the biggest, but the power output is absolutely huge. You can see that whether it’s tackling, whether it’s carrying, he is good close to the line, he gets a lot of pushover tries, pick and gos.

“He’s good in the wide channels as well. He’s got the complete game. He had been injured for a long time, but he came into the Ospreys team last month and he was straight back into it like he had never been away. He has got that mentality where he can be out for four or five months, get back in and just have the game of the season.”

As for the player himself, the Swansea-born Morgan is relishing being out on the pitch again.

“It’s a great feeling being back out with the boys,” he said. “I really missed it. It’s a tough one getting injured. I’ve picked up a couple now over the last few years. It’s just one of the things that happens with rugby. When it does, it’s a case of trying to get back onto the field as quickly as possible and in as best shape as possible.”

Providing a coaching insight on Morgan’s impressive return, Ospreys boss Mark Jones said: “It’s a big challenge to come from four and a half months out and come back to the level he was operating at. That’s a real sign of class.

“Even the best players sometimes take a while to warm back up and get their eye in, so to speak.

“But he’s had a massive impact since coming back. His influence on the game is big, but his influence on his team-mates is probably the most influential thing. We are just delighted to have him back and to see him out on the field. He’s smiling and getting stuck in and it’s awesome to see.

“Having him back in the team fresh has added to it and it is pushing the other guys on.”

Former Wales wing Jones continued: “I didn’t know Jac at all until coming into the environment here. “Obviously, I had seen him playing and the quality of the player was there for everybody to see. But what I have been equally impressed with since working with him is the quality of the character and of the person. He is such a humble guy. He is so understated in everything he does, other than playing the game. He’s massively in your face when he plays the game.

“He’s respected and known for all the right things. The purists of rugby know exactly what he’s about, his physicality and his defensive element, while he’s a hell of an attacker as well. He’s both sides of the ball really and he’s so aware.

“His ball carrying is very impressive in terms of gaining metres through contact against some big bodies, while he’s also an absolute pain at the breakdown and his work around the defensive stuff and in the set-piece is very good.”

Adding the players’ perspective on Morgan, Ospreys hooker Sam Parry said: “He’s world class.

“There’s not much you can’t say about him. He does it all, both sides of the ball. He’s just an unbelievable captain, player and person and we are lucky to have him.”

It was an emotional night for Morgan against the Sharks at Bridgend’s Brewery Field as his “cousin and best friend” Harri Morgan, the vice-captain of Brynamman RFC’s first team, had died suddenly earlier in the week.

In a moving tribute on social media, Jac said Harri “meant the world” to him and his family and that he had played Saturday’s match in honour and memory of him. “It felt important to go out there and make him proud, playing the game that he loved,” said the openside flanker, who had ‘In Memory of Harri Morgan’ embossed on the back of his jersey, alongside the Brynamman RFC crest.

Ospreys coach Jones said: “Jac had a tough week, but the players got behind him and he led exceptionally well from the front. What a way to perform in such a big game as a captain. He was tremendous. Jac is a class man, a class player and that performance summed him up really.”