Here are the latest rugby headlines on Friday, November 25.
Jac Morgan backed to be future Wales captain
Jac Morgan has been tipped as a future contender for the role of Wales captain by former Wales coach Mike Ruddock.
Morgan has been one of the few shafts of light in a dark autumn for coach Wayne Pivac, whose team end their November catalogue against Australia on Saturday. Ospreys flanker Morgan, just 22, has brought power and authority to the Wales back row over the past month and will line up against the Wallabies alongside skipper Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau.
Ruddock - now development director at the Ospreys and the man who delivered the Grand Slam of 2005 - reckons Morgan has been the find of the autumn and can underline that status against the Aussies in a match which will be shown in extended highlights form on S4C.
“I think Jac Morgan has the potential to just keep growing and improving,” says Ruddock. “He is performing at a high level already, but he is the sort of lad that if a coach puts his arm around him, he will grow six inches in confidence. Those informal leadership qualities he possesses will develop over time into formal leadership qualities.
“He is definitely a guy who earns respect, he gives everything on the pitch and on the training pitch, I am sure anyone would follow him. I think he will definitely grow into a formal role, whether that is the breakdown leader, or whether it is a more formal role with a name to it like vice-captain or even captain. Things will come to him over time, if the coach puts his faith in him, I’m sure Jac can go to a completely new level.”
It was only five months ago that Pivac left Morgan at home before the tour to South Africa, claiming the flanker lacked size and power over the ball at the breakdown. That verdict left a lot of knowledgeable rugby folk bemused but what has really impressed Ruddock is the manner in which Morgan has answered those doubts placed against him.
“He had a setback, having not made the squad that travelled to South Africa, but I think that Jac has responded to that situation superbly. He has come back better and stronger in the areas that Wayne Pivac identified. Not that he was underperforming, but he has come back better and stronger in those areas. He has definitely shown Wayne what he can do, and how much he wants that jersey."
Ruddock backed Morgan to perform impressively again against Australia, saying: "He is fearless, he gets over the ball and he is incredibly strong over the ball. He is very technical about his work as well; his decision making is excellent. He has got a bit of everything to his game, he can score you tries, he is a good footballer, and he is a very smart defender."
- Highlights of Wales v Australia will be shown at 7.30pm on Saturday night, on S4C. This weekend, S4C will also show three live matches from the URC: Bulls v Ospreys (Saturday, 12.45pm), Lions v Dragons (Sunday, 1.45pm) and Sharks v Cardiff (Sunday, 4pm). English commentary available on all three matches.
Welsh sides bid for wins on South African soil
While Scarlets are the first Welsh side to kick off their URC fixtures on South African soil by facing Stormers on Friday night, Cardiff Rugby boss Dai Young and his regional counterparts will all be bidding to claim a landmark win in South Africa.
Cardiff face Cell C Sharks in Durban on Sunday. The Arms Park side sit sixth in the table as the highest-placed Welsh side, thanks to winning four of their first seven matches of the season, but are without 11 players due to Wales duty and injuries, including Taulupe Faletau, Tomos Williams, Rhys Priestland and Josh Adams.
“We have had a pretty good start to the season and we want to kick on and it’s a real good place to come out and make a statement,” said Young. "These games are hugely significant. We know exactly what’s coming our way. They come through the front door, not the back door. We all know what a massive challenge it is and we know if you are not in the right place you can get a good thumping out here. But, if we are in the right place, we can make a real statement. That’s what we are talking about doing.
Cardiff will then face the Bulls six days later, and will be keen to make amends for their last match in South Africa eight months ago when they were on the wrong end of a 40-3 scoreline against the Stormers.
“I thought we did really well away to the Lions last season," Young said. “But the Stormers really put us to the sword. We were taught a lesson and we are all determined to try and put that right. I don’t think we really recovered after that defeat last season. It gave us a real dent in confidence and we weren’t able to turn it around. We are determined for that not to happen again.”
Cardiff Rugby: Ben Thomas; Jason Harries, Rey Lee-Lo, Max Llewellyn, Theo Cabango; Jarrod Evans, Lloyd Williams; Rhys Carré, Liam Belcher, Dmitri Arhip, Lopeti Timani, Rory Thornton, Josh Turnbull (capt.), Thomas Young, James Botham.
Replacements: Kristian Dacey, Corey Domachowski, Will Davies-King, Seb Davies, Gwilym Bradley, James Ratti, Ellis Bevan, Mason Grady.
Dragons make five changes to face Lions
Dragons have made five changes from the starting line-up which defeated Zebre Parma with a bonus point last time out ahead of their URC clash against the Emirates Lions on Sunday.
Sio Tomkinson returns on the wing, centre Jack Dixon returns to partner Steff Hughes in midfield, hooker James Benjamin will make his first start for the club up front and Ben Fry comes into the back row, with Harri Keddie ruled out and Elliot Dee missing the tour through injury. The final change is a call-up for scrum-half Lewis Jones, with Rhodri Williams (foot) ruled out of the tour opener.
Head coach Dai Flanagan said: “We’re excited to be in South Africa. The pitches should suit what we are trying to do in attack and we’re just looking to express ourselves. There's an opportunity for certain players with the internationals away early on and I can't stress how excited we are as a group to see how we perform."
Dragons: Angus O’Brien, David Richards, Steff Hughes, Jack Dixon, Sio Tomkinson, Sam Davies, Lewis Jones; Aki Seiuli, James Benjamin, Lloyd Fairbrother, Joe Davies, Sean Lonsdale, Aaron Wainwright, Ben Fry, Ross Moriarty (capt).
Replacements: Ellis Shipp, Josh Reynolds, Chris Coleman, Matthew Screech, Huw Taylor, Che Hope, JJ Hanrahan, Jordan Williams.
Davies returns for Ospreys
The Ospreys will look to old warhorse Bradley Davies to help show the way up front when they take on the Bulls in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld (1pm UK kick-off time).
Head coach Toby Booth is forced to dig deep for the outing in Pretoria given the region's Wales calls and injuries, but he will be cheered to have 66-cap Wales international Davies back in the fold.
Ospreys : Max Nagy; Luke Morgan, Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler, Keiran Williams, Keelan Giles; Jack Walsh, Rhys Webb (capt); Garyn Phillips, Scott Baldwin, Tom Botha, Bradley Davies, Huw Sutton, Ethan Roots, Will Hickey, Morgan Morris.
Replacements: Sam Parry, Rhys Henry, Ben Warren, James Fender, Jack Regan, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Luke Scully, Cai Evans.
Welsh trio start for Barbarians
Wales internationals Jonah Holmes and Owen Williams will feature for the Barbarians against Northampton Saints on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
Saints are working to fill gaps in their calendar left by the absence of their fixtures with Worcester and Wasps.
Wales full-back/wing Jonah Holmes, who effectively ended his internaional career by leaving Dragons for English Championship side Ealing Trailfinders, starts at No. 15, with Owen Williams lining up in the centre and Cardiff flanker Olly Robinson starting in the back-row. Former England players Danny Cipriani, Marland Yarde, Tom Wood and Luther Burrell all start, too.
Barbarians : 15. Jonah Holmes, 14. Zach Kibirige, 13. Luther Burrell, 12. Owen Williams, 11. Marland Yarde, 10. Danny Cipriani, 9. Gareth Simpson, 1. Murray Mccallum, 2. Hika Elliot, 3. Brok Harris, 4. Graham Kitchener, 5. Elliott Stooke, 6. Ben Morris, 7. Olly Robinson, 8. Tom Wood (capt).
Replacements : Ikanivere, Ben Harris, Millar-mills, Ashley, Boyde, Hougaard, Hingano, Humphreys.
