How Jac Morgan grew to become a Lions captaincy contender even in a group that loses each week – after going from engineering apprentice to Wales’ fearless chief

In June, as the sun shone in Port Talbot and Aberavon’s players gathered for the first time ahead of the new season, a surprising yet recognisable face appeared at the team meeting.

Jason Hyatt, the coach of the semi-professional Welsh side, wanted to provide his squad with a source of inspiration. And there was no better man to do it than Jac Morgan.

Now Wales captain and in line to tour Australia with the British & Irish Lions this summer after a stellar Six Nations, Morgan is an out-and-out international star.

But, his journey to this point hasn’t always been straightforward. After being released by his home region the Scarlets, Morgan took on an engineering apprenticeship in Swansea with Morgan Advanced Materials and attempted to rebuild his rugby career with Aberavon.

‘Jac’s journey is a great story and we’re especially keen to promote it at Aberavon,’ Hyatt told Mail Sport.  

‘We have players with us now who have been released by their club or region. Jac is good motivation for them because at the moment, they feel like their world has come to an end. Not everyone’s pathway is the same, as Jac has proved.

‘I’m very proud of the small role Aberavon played in Jac’s development. He enjoyed his time with us. He attended a meeting with us in June at the start of this year’s campaign.

‘He spoke really well. We’re working hard at the moment to develop young talent and I felt it was important the players we have now understood where Jac has come from.

‘He has shown there are different ways into professional rugby. Very few players don’t experience some sort of hardship or adversity along their journey and I felt it was really important for Jac to explain his story.

‘It helped our players now understand there have been others who have gone through that. One so happens to be the Wales captain.’

Hailing from Brynamman, a small village at the foot of the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons, Morgan started his rugby journey with nearby Cwmtwrch at the age of five.

Welsh is his first language and the tongue he feels most comfortable in, even today when doing press conferences as his country’s rugby leader.

Cwmtwrch is the home club of former Wales captain and coach Clive Rowlands, and Morgan played with Rowlands’ grandson. Intriguingly, he also went to the same school as Wales women’s captain Hannah Jones.

Morgan has had an outstanding Six Nations. As the man at the helm of a team that has lost 16 straight Tests, you might expect his form to have slipped in a struggling side. In fact, the opposite has happened.

The 25-year-old’s performances have been so good that he has stamped himself as a Lion in waiting despite the fact he plays in such a competitive position. Every home natoin has a world-class No 7 or two these days, but Morgan still stands out.

Caelan Doris and Maro Itoje are the favourites to captain Andy Farrell’s team Down Under, but Hyatt believes Morgan is rivalling them for the job.

‘There is no doubt Jac is a world-class player. He’s phenomenal at the contact area. He doesn’t give penalties away,’ said Hyatt. ‘His ball carrying and awareness around the park is exceptional. He works really, really hard. He’s improved every aspect of his game.

‘I think we’ve got a lot more to come. Jac has got so much growth. Where he’s capable of going is phenomenal. It would be great to see him make the Lions tour which I’ve no doubt he will.

‘Hopefully, he can get a leadership role within that environment too. He’s proved in this Six Nations how effective he is at the highest level.

‘I’ve no doubt in my mind Jac is an out-and-out leader and he’d thrive in any leadership role. Whether he does that or not or whoever is chosen as captain, it would be great for Farrell to have Jac’s leadership within his squad. He knows how to bring the best out of everyone around him and exudes confidence. That’s priceless.’

Morgan’s leaving of school at 17 coincided with him being released from his academy contract with the Scarlets – the same team that also let him go several years later when he had re-signed for them at senior level following his exploits with Aberavon. 

That decision looks more and more foolish by the day. Morgan is now contracted to the Ospreys. He is a quiet captain and, like his predecessor Sam Warburton, leads more by deed than word.

‘Seeing Jac doing special things really inspires you to think we do have the sort of team to start winning games and hopefully win Championships in the future,’ said Morgan’s Wales colleague Dafydd Jenkins.

‘He’s an incredible player. He is a class bloke, very humble, and someone I love playing with and playing for. You always know he is going to give everything.

‘You always know he is going to be one of the best players on the pitch, whoever we are playing against. Having people like that does help the team forward.

‘He is above everyone else. For me, he is the best seven in Britain at the moment. If you are talking about a Lions tour, he’s on there for sure, isn’t he?’

Morgan faces Lions rivalry from the likes of Tom Curry, Josh van der Flier, Rory Darge and Jack Willis, the exiled England flanker in the form of his life with Toulouse.

Bur Farrell must surely have been impressed by the Welshman’s all-court game. Morgan tops the list of tackles made in this Six Nations with 73.

There is also the intrigue that if Morgan can stand out in a struggling Wales side, how good could he be surrounded by Britain’s best? You’d imagine we’ll find out the answer to that this summer.

‘He’s been brilliant. You can see why he’s captain. He’s very, very popular in the squad. He’s not a captain who talks a great deal,’ said Wales interim coach Matt Sherratt of Morgan.

‘He’s more of an action captain for me. That’s why he’s topping all the stats. He’s got a very good manner in the squad. I don’t see a hierarchy from him.

‘A young player like Ellis Mee is as respected by Jac as much as Taulupe Faletau. He’s very good at being what I call the thermometer of the group. He’s very good at going between the junior and senior figures.

‘He’s as effective and as popular with all of them. He’s been brilliant for me as well and really supportive. He’s a great guy.’

In January, Morgan committed his immediate future to the Ospreys, signing a new contract.

Morgan would often travel abroad as part of his engineering work, but would still always train with Aberavon and his performances for the Wizards earned him Under 20s selection.

From there, his progression has been swift. He captained Wales at junior level too and was part of the Under 20s side which beat New Zealand in 2019.

In 2022, Morgan was left out of Wayne Pivac’s squad for the senior tour of South Africa because it was deemed at the time he lacked physical stature. Three years on, after co-captaining Wales at the 2023 World Cup, Morgan is now a fearsome competitor. He can do it all.

Morgan’s immediate task at hand is to try and end Wales’ horror winless run against old rivals England at a sold-out Principality Stadium on Saturday.

‘We knew Jac was a talented rugby player because when he joined us, he’d just come back from South Africa with Wales Under 18s. His talent was obvious,’ Hyatt said. ‘His attributes were exceptional. The stand-out moment for me was when we first met, he asked me how he could help Aberavon get better. It blew me away.

‘I’ve never been asked that question before or since. It goes a long way to explaining how far Jac has got in the game and how much further he’s got to go.

‘He genuinely cares about the people around him and helps grow the team culture. That’s such a rare quality and one which makes Jac so unique.

‘Jac has shown a lot of resilience. He got himself set up with an apprenticeship as an engineer while working on hard on his rugby and the rest fell into place.’