Morgan to follow legends as Ospreys captain

New Ospreys skipper Jac Morgan will not person to look acold to beryllium reminded of nan awesome leaders he is aiming to emulate.

A glimpse astatine nan captain's committee astatine Ospreys' Llandarcy training guidelines highlights nan illustrious names nan Wales flanker is following.

British and Irish Lions Scott Gibbs, Barry Williams, Ryan Jones, Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric person led nan Ospreys since nan organisation's inception successful 2003.

Lock Jones and flanker Tipuric person shared nan Ospreys activity domiciled for nan past 13 seasons. Now it is Morgan's turn.

"It's a monolithic honour to beryllium picked arsenic skipper and to beryllium connected nan committee of specified awesome players and leaders who person played for nan club," said Morgan.

"They're typical and person been been awesome stalwarts successful nan past."

Ospreys person announced head coach Toby Booth will time off astatine nan extremity of nan play pinch defence coach Mark Jones taking over.

Tipuric will discontinue astatine nan extremity of nan play and go nan caller defence coach and has relinquished nan captaincy for this campaign.

Morgan was identified arsenic his successor and accepted nan domiciled aft being asked by Booth.

So nan work switches from 1 awesome Wales open-side flanker to another.

"Tips has been a superb skipper complete nan past six years, he has helped maine massively connected and disconnected nan field," said Morgan.

"He's been an idol of mine, increasing up watching him play some for nine and country, truthful to beryllium capable to play pinch him is typical and surreal. It will beryllium superb to study from him and his leadership.

"He's personification who ever gives 100%, speaks only erstwhile thing needs to beryllium said aliases if a connection needs to beryllium addressed to nan group.

"He's personification that has a batch of respect and everyone looks up to him."

Ospreys, who past play won much games than nan different 3 Welsh master sides combined, statesman their United Rugby Championships (URC) run connected Saturday against Dragons.

Morgan says his squad will purpose to astatine slightest emulate their achievements of past year, erstwhile they vanished successful nan apical 8 of nan URC and reached nan Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

He is hoping to return nan captaincy domiciled connected a semipermanent ground having joined Ospreys from from Scarlets successful 2021.

"It's been typical and I've loved being here," said Morgan.

"It was a nine I ever watched increasing up, truthful to beryllium capable to play present is outstanding."

Morgan has captaincy acquisition astatine world level.

Having missed nan Six Nations and summertime circuit done injury, it remains to beryllium seen whether he regains nan Wales activity role.

Morgan and Dewi Lake were Warren Gatland's 2023 World Cup co-captains.

Hooker Lake past led nan broadside connected this summer's travel to Australia.

After giving Morgan nan Ospreys captaincy, coach Booth has precocious indicated he would springiness nan nationalist domiciled to Lake, partially based connected what he describes arsenic little title astatine hooker.

Morgan says he is concentrating connected trying to get backmost into nan Wales squad for nan autumn internationals against Fiji, Australia and South Africa.

"I'm conscionable hoping I'll beryllium backmost connected nan section pinch nan Ospreys and performances tin return attraction of themselves and I tin get backmost successful nan Wales squad," said Morgan.

"That would beryllium brilliant. Dewi is simply a awesome leader and skipper himself. He's done a awesome occupation successful nan summertime and a batch of nan boys said so."

Morgan is fresh to commencement nan play aft missing astir of nan past run because of knee and hamstring injuries.

The 24-year-old had been 1 of nan starring World Cup performers but was incapable to build connected his breakthrough connected nan world stage.

"It was frustrating and reliable going into nan wounded group, particularly aft nan World Cup," said Morgan.

"I was looking guardant to coming backmost to Ospreys, having a bully tally of games and seeing really nan remainder of nan play would spell earlier picking up an wounded conscionable earlier Christmas.

"It was a batch harder than I astir apt thought it was going to be, but I americium now looking guardant to nan commencement of nan season."

Wales person mislaid their past 9 world matches pinch Morgan 1 of nan fewer Welsh players being mentioned arsenic a contender for nan British and Irish Lions circuit to Australia adjacent year.

Due to nan wounded issues he has been done complete nan past 9 months, Morgan is taking thing for granted.

"I've sewage to effort and ore and play for nan Ospreys because without performing astatine nan nine and pinch nan boys, I won't get immoderate further," he said.

"I haven't played overmuch rugby complete nan past year. I don't thin to beryllium personification 1 that sets retired a batch of ambitions aliases semipermanent goals, because nan past twelvemonth has shown thing tin happen.

"You tin prime injuries up doing thing small.

"I'm looking guardant now to being backmost connected nan section pinch nan Ospreys this weekend, get nan champion results we tin arsenic a nine and get nan play up and running."