Flanker Jac Morgan has publicly thrown his support behind hooker Dewi Lake, who has been confirmed as Wales captain for the upcoming Nations Championship. Morgan, a British and Irish Lion, has rejoined the national squad after a significant injury layoff but head coach Steve Tandy has opted to keep Lake in the leadership role.
Morgan, who suffered a dislocated left shoulder while scoring against Argentina last November, expressed his enthusiasm for backing Lake. "I'm just looking forward to backing Dewi up," Morgan stated. "He's a great captain, a great leader and someone you'll always follow into a game. I try and support Dewi as best as I can and we've got a good group of leaders on and off the field."
The Gloucester-bound flanker made his return to action in Wales' 33-31 victory over the Barbarians at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, an uncapped warm-up fixture. Morgan even took over the captaincy at half-time in that match when Lake was substituted. "I love being back," Morgan remarked, adding, "It's always an honour to be able to put the jersey on and I was chuffed to be back in the field with the boys."
Morgan's injury sidelined him for eight Test matches, missing almost two campaigns, including the Six Nations. Despite being out, he observed the team's development under Tandy. "It's been great to be able to watch because you can see how Steve and the coaches want to implement the game," he said. "You can see during the Six Nations we're getting better every game. You could see the identity we were trying to bring through."
Wales are set to kick off their Nations Championship campaign next Saturday against Fiji at Cardiff City Stadium. Following this opening fixture, they will embark on away trips to face Argentina and South Africa, presenting a challenging schedule for the squad under Lake's continued captaincy and Morgan's impactful return.