How close was Jac Morgan, the last Welshman on this British & Irish Lions tour, to being involved in the first Test? \u201cAs close as you could imagine. Look, you\u2019re actually gutted for players like that,\u201d replied the head coach Andy Farrell, having opted for Morgan\u2019s back-row rivals Tom Curry and Ben Earl in the No\u20097 shirt and on the bench.<\/p>\n
Morgan may have missed out due to the finest of margins but there are seismic consequences, with \ufeffthe Lions \ufeffplay\ufeffing a Test \ufeffyesterday \ufeffwithout a \ufeffplayer from Wales in their squad for the first time since 1896. Consider how much the great Welsh players of the past have contributed \ufeffduring the past 129 years, the legends of Gareth Edwards and Barry John, Phil Bennett and JPR Williams. In the Lions\u2019 most recent Test against the Wallabies \ufeffin 2013 there were 10 Welsh starters, a Welsh captain in Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric on the bench.<\/p>\n
Curry had not played his best rugby on this tour until Saturday\ufeff, w\ufeffhile Morgan has been in hot form at the breakdown \u2013 leading the squad with five turnovers \u2013 \ufeffand Farrell knows Josh van der Flier, the 2022 world player of the year, \ufeffwell from his time with Ireland.<\/p>\n
Curry is a faith selection because Farrell knows the England flanker will empty the tank, going to dark places in order to deliver for the team. \u201cThe engine that we all know that we need in regards to Test match football,\u201d as Farrell put it.<\/p>\n
Which is a long way of saying it is hard to know how much more Morgan could have done to force his way into the side given how well he has played. The blows for Welsh rugby keep on coming. Victory over Japan last weekend in Kobe had been a welcome balm after a horrific couple of years, \ufeffending a run of 18 consecutive defeats and a 644 days without a win\ufeff. Talk about short-lived euphoria, with Morgan\u2019s absence a reminder of how far one of the great rugby nations has fallen and its current state of uncertainty.<\/p>\n
Matt Sherratt has now filled in admirably as interim head coach for five Tests but a permanent successor to Warren Gatland is urgently required\ufeff, in part because the rest of the game in Wales is on the verge of major upheaval. Filling that role will be a job for Dave Reddin, the Welsh Rugby Union director of rugby\ufeff.<\/p>\n
News broke this week that the WRU will explore halving the number of regions from four to two before the 2027-28 season, a radical move to try \ufeffto reduce costs. Over the years there have been failed mergers and frequent speculation regarding the \ufeffregions \u2013 Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets \u2013 with the WRU taking on Cardiff\u2019s \u00a39 million debt earlier this year when the region went into temporary administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cWelsh rugby has experienced a deterioration in performance on and off the field,\u201d read Monday\u2019s statement\ufeff. Hard to argue\ufeff. Similar to the final days of Gatland\u2019s second tenure, that feeling of imminent change after losing in Rome to Italy, now you sense with the regions that something has to give.<\/p>\n
The omission of Morgan after carrying Wales on his back in the Six Nations will hurt, but it is merely the latest \ufeffof punishing body blows\ufeff\ufeff\ufeff. \ufeffThat elation from the men\u2019s long-awaited Test win has \ufeffquickly\ufeff disappeared.<\/p>\n