Amongst all the noise of the second Test, Morgan quietly went about his work with his usual excellenceJac Morgan of the British & Irish Lions (Image: David Rogers/Getty Images)

In the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, Ken Owens was watching on – doing bits and pieces for hospitality and S4C.

Making his way down to pitchside for his TV duties late in the match, he missed parts of Hugo Keenan’s series-winning try. He did see the TMO referral of Jac Morgan’s clearout just before Keenan squeezed over.

For Owens, it was all too familiar. Like the former hooker eight years previously in Auckland, Morgan had been thrust into the centre of a refereeing decision at the crucial point of a series decider.

Two Welsh captains, nearly a decade apart, in a situation not really of their making. Both, by the skin of their teeth, getting through it just about. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.

The debate around Morgan’s clearout on Carlo Tizzano is still raging on. World Rugby have responded, with the incident being reviewed internally – although those findings won’t be made public.

Nothing will change the result, though. Morgan is now a Test Lion and a Test series winner.

Perhaps fittingly, the TMO check of his final clearout brought more eyes to the grunt work that Morgan had been doing tirelessly since he came on in the 55th minute to a huge cheer from the MCG crowd.

Just before his arrival, Tom Curry – with his last action on the pitch – had blindsided Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in a crucial tackle that possibly saved a try. A huge moment.

As the Lions looked to their bench as they reeled the Wallabies back in, there were big visible impacts from pretty much everyone.

Ellis Genge and Will Stuart made big carries, James Ryan smoked people in defence, Owen Farrell helped dictate the play and Blair Kinghorn beat defenders in the wider channels.

Morgan was just as important, but there were no flashy pieces of play to capture the eye.

In a tour of big moments, Morgan has been understated in a way that differs from how he is in the Welsh jersey.

In that different shade of red, the Ospreys back-row carries the burden and then some – getting stuck into everything, leading the way on tackles, carries and ruck involvement.

This Lions tour, with the quality Andy Farrell’s squad possesses, has shifted Morgan to the background a little. Yet, his impact remains just as crucial – with Farrell describing him as “brilliant” after the match.

Within seconds of coming on, Morgan was chopping down Langi Gleeson from a lineout before getting back to offer ruck support to James Lowe on a kick receipt.

It was a similar story throughout his cameo, with Morgan continually getting back to secure rucks from Australian box-kicks. On one occasion, Morgan tracks across from a scrum to make the tackle on Len Ikitau as the Wallabies offload back infield.

He then gets to his feet, follows the box-kick back, makes another couple of tackles before chasing back another Australian kick and clearing out a jackal threat after Tommy Freeman carries in.

All in the space of a minute.

For Tadhg Beirne’s try, there’s a series of clearouts from Morgan, as well as one tackle from an inside pass from Finn Russell.

In all honesty, it’s probably a fractional early tackle on Morgan as he takes the pass – although it’s not penalised. Without that, he’s probably making more of a dent.

It doesn’t matter too much though. He was back on his feet, securing possession after Jamison Gibson-Park got a little isolated.

For the match-winning try, there’s obviously the clearout on Tizzano, but he makes just as important a ruck entry on the other side of the pitch.

Hurdling a Wallabies tackler, he clears out in textbook fashion after Kinghorn is dragged down metres short.

There was nothing flashy from Morgan last Saturday night.

There was the sniff of a trademark jackal penalty, but – with the Wallabies focused on Morgan – the Wales back-row was able to provide ballast and support to allow Maro Itoje to get over the ball instead.

But the man from Brynamman did what he needed to, all relatively under the radar – until it wasn’t.

It’s a grey area, the clearout. You can read the laws any way you want to come to the verdict that suits you.

But, in the dying seconds, it wasn’t a lazy clearout by Morgan. That’s not his style.

Perhaps, in different circumstances, Morgan’s final understated act would have gone relatively unnoticed like the rest.

Even then, strip away the outrage and the controversy, all it did was highlight what he does so well.