Wales captain Jac Morgan has told the WRU he would leave Welsh rugby if the Ospreys didn’t exist, with the vast majority of Welsh players feeling the same way
Jac Morgan is Wales’ best player(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)
Welsh Rugby Union director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin is hopeful Welsh rugby can keep hold of Jac Morgan following the Wales captain’s warning to the governing body.
Morgan has told the WRU he would leave Wales if the Ospreys did not exist moving forward. Ospreys supporters were told of the back-row’s stance at a recent consultation event amid the ongoing uncertainty overshadowing Welsh rugby.
The 25-year-old is understood to have not been aware his communication with the WRU would be made public, with his position not intended as a threat to the WRU.
However, with it now out there in the public domain, it only serves to add to the pressure currently on the WRU over their proposals to cut the number of men’s professional teams from four to two.
“First of all, I’ve spoken to Jac,” Reddin told ITV Wales. “He’s an incredible young man and a huge part of the future of Welsh rugby.
“Jac, along with other players, we want to keep them in Wales. We want them to make them feel like the Welsh system is a definitive choice.
“Not just because of the connection to the national team or their communities, but because they genuinely feel it’s the best place to play their rugby and develop as the world class players that people like Jac are going to be.
“Of course, it’s concerning hearing that. But I also understand some of the emotion in it. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
“We continue to talk to all the players to listen to them and also explain where we’re going to go. Hopefully, as we move through that, whatever decisions we make, we hopefully might mediate some of those opinions.”
Morgan’s stance would appear to be one shared by the vast majority of professional players in Wales.
Over 160 players in Wales were surveyed by the Welsh Rugby Players Association, with over 90 per cent of players saying they were not in favour of the two-club model.
Over 90 per cent also said they would look at options outside of Wales were the number of clubs reduced to two.
However, despite the players appearing to hold a strong consensus, Reddin dismissed the notion that they are a “uniformed voice”.
“In those decisions we are not going to keep everyone happy,” added Reddin.
“It would be easy to say the players don’t like it so it can’t be this, this and this.
“Respectfully, the players are a massively important voice but they are not a uniformed voice.
“There are different people in that group who have vastly different ambitions and needs from a system.
“That’s not a homogenous opinion.”
Morgan has yet to return to playing since being Wales’ sole representative in the British and Irish Lions’ Test series in Australia this summer.
The Ospreys captain, who played in the second and third Tests against the Wallabies, had been due to fly out to South Africa last Friday to meet up with his club team-mates.
However, a minor calf issue picked up while in physical testing with the WRU has delayed his comeback slightly.