Wales captain Jac Morgan is ‘the best seven in Britain'
Dafydd Jenkins has labelled his Wales team-mate Jac Morgan 'the best seven in Britain' ahead of Saturday's Guinness Six Nations clash with England.
Despite Wales losing all four games in this season's tournament and hovering dangerously close to a second successive wooden spoon, Morgan has produced blistering, dynamic form.
Wales captain Morgan heads the Six Nations tackle chart with 73 and lies second for defensive ruck arrivals, leading from the front in often testing circumstances.
🏴 𝙅𝙖𝙘 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣 & 𝘿𝙖𝙛𝙮𝙙𝙙 𝙅𝙚𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙨 🔥
A Jac & Daf appreciation post as the dynamic duo put in a huge shift on Saturday afternoon combining for 5️⃣3️⃣ tackles & 6️⃣ turnovers 🤯
Here's a glimpse of the duo in action 💥#GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/n44Rg4UOKv
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏴 (@WelshRugbyUnion) March 10, 2025
He has smashed down the door in terms of announcing British and Irish Lions selection credentials, and Wales know they are guaranteed another super-human effort from him when England arrive at the Principality Stadium.
'He is an incredible player. He is a class bloke, very humble, and someone I love playing with and playing for,' Wales and Exeter lock Jenkins said.
'You always know he is going to give everything, and 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 – Jac, Taulupe (Faletau), Tomos (Williams) – it does help the team forward. They are special players.
'For me, Jac is the best seven in Britain at the moment. If you are talking about a Lions tour, in my opinion he's on there for sure.
'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.'
While England remain in Six Nations title contention, Wales face a straight fight with Italy to avoid finishing bottom of the table.
Wales have lost their last 16 Tests, and it is 10 Six Nations defeats on the bounce since beating Italy in March 2023.
Super Saturday awaits! 🙌
Ready for a massive final week of the #GuinnessM6N #WALvENG pic.twitter.com/FnoQbDUY1I
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 11, 2025
But their home record against England during the Six Nations era, including World Cup warm-up games, shows nine wins and seven defeats.
Jenkins added: 'It's huge. I think if I go back to Exeter with a win I would be a lot happier in terms of you can start ripping into a few of the other boys!
'I have taken my fair share off them now, so it would be nice to hand out a bit.
'This is the game you dream of playing in as a kid. Pretty sure they (England) can win the championship, so we can't be having that in Cardiff.
'I probably started watching rugby properly during the 2011 World Cup, so seeing Wales have success there really inspired me to go on and play and want to be in the Welsh jersey in these big games against England.'
Wales have looked a creative and dangerous force across interim head coach Matt Sherratt's two games at the helm against Ireland and Scotland.
Ireland were pushed to the limit in Cardiff, then Wales gained two losing bonus points at Murrayfield after trailing 35-8 with 20 minutes left.
'We are close (to winning games), but at the end of the day the only statistic that matters is the final score,' Jenkins said.
'I think England were getting a bit of stick about the way they played, but they are winning games, so it's a huge credit to them and something we would rather be on the right side of.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Spurs need to make a decision on Ange Postecoglou now, so they can plan for next season
Tottenham Hotspur are stuck in a state of paralysis… and it is entirely their own fault. While their rivals have acted swiftly in the early days of the summer transfer market, Tottenham have still not even decided who will be their head coach/manager next season. Two weeks after they lifted their first trophy in 17 years after beating Manchester United in the Europa League final, Ange Postecoglou has no idea if he will be around for a third campaign in charge. Advertisement The Athletic reported in March that there were serious doubts about Postecoglou's long-term future and that Spurs had identified Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola, Brentford head coach Thomas Frank and Fulham's Marco Silva as potential replacements. Tottenham lost 22 of ther 38 Premier League games last season and finished 17th, above only the three relegated sides, as they struggled to cope with a crippling injury crisis. Victory in that Europa League final changed everything, though, and united the fanbase. All of the players have spoken warmly about their bond with Postecoglou and how he kept them motivated last season when everybody else doubted their ability to win. For many people associated with Spurs, their domestic form during that campaign is completely irrelevant now. When visitors Brighton & Hove Albion scored their final goal in a 4-1 win on the last weekend of the top-flight season, four days after that triumph in Bilbao, the entire crowd stood and started singing When The Spurs Go Marching In. That powerful emotional connection will be damaged if the club now cut ties with Postecoglou. Brighton have just scored their fourth goal but the Spurs fans are still loudly chanting for their team 🎶 — Jay Harris (@jaydmharris) May 25, 2025 The Australian, 59, is currently on holiday with his family in Greece, hoping to be allowed to continue the four-year contract he signed when appointed in summer 2023. For all of Postecoglou's flaws, he inherited a declining Son Heung-min, revolutionised Spurs' playing style, lowered the squad's age, coped without the recently-sold Harry Kane and has returned the club to the Champions League. The problem is Tottenham's form since the infamous 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in November 2023 has been awful. They have lost 34 out of 66 matches and earned 78 points. If you exclude the six relegated teams across the past two seasons, that is the third-worst record in the division during that time, ahead of only Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Advertisement This situation has dragged on for too long. Chairman Daniel Levy was on holiday too last week, and while it is understandable that Tottenham's senior figures wanted to process their emotions following their Europa League success, they should have come to a much quicker conclusion. Maybe Spurs are trying to avoid a repeat of what happened when they sacked Jose Mourinho in the April of the 2020-21 campaign. Mourinho left a couple of days before the Carabao Cup final, which they lost to Manchester City under interim replacement Ryan Mason. The club then spent the next 10 weeks assessing different candidates, including Erik ten Hag, Paulo Fonseca, Hansi Flick, their former manager Mauricio Pochettino and future head coach Antonio Conte, before they appointed Nuno Espirito Santo on June 30. Nuno lasted only four months before he was replaced with Conte. In March 2023, Conte was out the door. Arne Slot, then at Dutch club Feyenoord and now a debut-season title winner with Liverpool, turned them down before they eventually appointed Scottish champions Celtic's manager Postecoglou. Could it be that Spurs want to have the next man lined up before they put Postecoglou out of his misery? Or are they assessing their head coach's qualities and determining whether it would actually be better to keep him around? If Postecoglou does stay, the torrent of speculation over the past couple of weeks could undermine his position. Ten Hag found himself in a similar situation last summer after winning the FA Cup with Manchester United. Ahead of that final, the Dutchman had seemed destined to leave. United's senior figures then apparently changed their minds, only to sack him in October. The worst thing Spurs could do is make this decision based on their current feelings, then regret it in a few months. Advertisement This delay will be negatively impacting their transfer business, too. United have signed Matheus Cunha, Chelsea agreed a deal with Ipswich Town for Liam Delap and Liverpool brought in Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen. Spurs were interested in Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo but he prefers a move to Old Trafford despite United's own dismal season. Why would anybody move to Tottenham right now when there is so much uncertainty? If Postecoglou is eventually retained, they have wasted valuable time in terms of identifying and working on potential signings who can improve the squad. If a new head coach takes over, he might like and need completely different players. Spurs signed Mathys Tel on loan with an option to buy from Bayern Munich in the winter window. The young striker struggled to impress in his first few months but showed flashes of his potential. Why would Tel commit his future to Tottenham when he has no idea if Postecoglou, the man who convinced him to join, will be there next season? The same applies to other members of the squad. Son, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur will all be in the final 12 months of their contracts within weeks. Cristian Romero has two years left on his but has publicly talked about the possibility of moving to Spain's La Liga. These players need to know what direction the club are heading in and who will be leading the way. It is the opposite approach to Real Madrid. The Spanish giants made it clear to targets Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen during negotiations that Xabi Alonso would be replacing the departing Carlo Ancelotti. The longer Spurs take to come to a conclusion on this, the more damage they could inflict on their 2025-26 season. Their pre-season schedule has them facing Arsenal in Hong Kong on July 31, then Newcastle United in South Korea before travelling to Germany for a friendly with Bayern. They then have the small matter of the UEFA Super Cup against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in Udine, Italy on August 13. These games might seem far off today, but Postecoglou, or his replacement, will need as much time as possible to prepare for them and implement his vision for a challenging campaign ahead. Advertisement Postecoglou changes his backroom staff at every job to keep things fresh, but most managers and head coaches are the complete opposite. Any potential replacement would probably want at least one of his assistants to join him in north London, which might drag out the situation for a little bit longer. Whether you believe in Postecoglou's philosophy or not, everybody can agree that he has been placed in an unfair situation. As he tries to relax with his family in the Greek sunshine, he is still patiently waiting for the phone call which will reveal his fate.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Luka Modric puts breaks on AC Milan move despite agreement on terms
Real Madrid star Luka Modric is looking for the fourth club of his career at the age of 39, as it was announced last month that he would be leaving Los Blancos after 13 years at the club. Modric is keen to play the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the USA with Croatia, and as such, has no intention of retiring, and will look for a destination that will serve him well in that regard. There has been interest from Major League Soccer in the United States, and Saudi Arabia, but it looks as if AC Milan are now leading the race for his signature. AC Milan reach agreement on terms with Modric New Milan Sporting Director Igli Tare traveled to Croatia to meet with Modric, and as per Football Italia, has reached an agreement on terms with the veteran midfielder, who will turn 40 in a few months. The deal would be for one-year with an option to extend by a further season, and Modric would be in line to earn around €3m per season. Image via Real Madrid CF Modric yet to make final call on future Nevertheless, Modric is yet to make the final decision on his future. That is the latest from Diario AS, who say that Modric will take some time to make his decision, conscious that there will be a variety of offers arriving at his door in the coming weeks. Currently his full focus is on lifting one final title, what would be his 29th, with Real Madrid, as they pursue the Club World Cup. Pros and Cons of AC Milan move The Rossoneri will not be in Europe next season, which on the one hand would provide him with time to recharge his batteries during the week, but would rob him of some of the cachet of playing on the European stage. In addition, Milan are a huge club, in a competitive league, with a city that would suit his family, all factors that work in favour of a move to San Siro.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs leaves club in leadership overhaul
Wolverhampton Wanderers sporting director Matt Hobbs has left Molineux with the club in talks to appoint former Sampdoria technical director Domenico Teti. Wolves are restructuring their football department with Jorge Mendes and his Gestifute agency expected to be handed a more prominent role. That change sees the departure of Hobbs, who has spent almost a decade at the club in various roles, including as sporting director since November 2022 after Wolves parted company with his predecessor Scott Sellars. Advertisement The club says Hobbs is departing by 'mutual consent' and thanked him for his contributions. Teti, 48, has been out of football since leaving Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab, where he worked with Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira. Hobbs was previously chief scout and head of player recruitment, having started work at Wolves in the academy recruitment team. His departure will mean Matt Jackson, Wolves' head of professional football development, taking on an increased role in contract negotiations and recruitment. But it will also mean Mendes and Gestitfute , who were responsible for bringing some of the most successful players of the Fosun era to Molineux along with some less successful signings, taking on an increased role again. Head of scouting Ben Wrigglesworth remains in charge of the recruitment team but it is likely that Fosun and chairman Jeff Shi will again lean on Gestifute, as they did in the early years of Fosun's ownership. Head coach Vitor Pereira, himself a Gestifute client, will also have a big say in summer signings. There was a time when Matt Hobbs looked set to steer Wolves away from their Gestifute era permanently. For several years he and his recruitment team had wanted the chance to take charge of signings at Molineux after the hit rate of Mendes began to wane after his spectacular successes in the early years of Fosun's ownership. After Gestifute players including Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Raul Jimenez underpinned an era of success unprecedented in modern times, less impressive signings like Matheus Nunes and Goncalo Guedes helped persuade Wolves to move towards a more conventional setup with Hobbs at its head. After a successful January window under Julen Lopetegui, which included signings championed by Hobbs including Craig Dawson, Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes, it seemed the strategy was working. And when Hobbs' choice for head coach, Gary O'Neil, led the team well clear of relegation trouble and to within minutes of an FA Cup semi-final, it seemed that the British-led revolution was in full swing. But the dramatic decline of O'Neil's reign led Wolves to turn back to Mendes in December when they appointed Vitor Pereira, and the head coach was the driving force behind the signings of Emmanuel Agbadou and Marshall Munetsi in January. He is set to get a greater say this summer, meaning an inevitably bigger role for Gestifute and a diluting of Hobbs' influence. The two parties have now decided a clean break is the best way forward. Wolves have had joy before with the Gestifute model and there is no reason why it cannot work again. But if it does not and another change of coach is needed, it will prompt obvious questions about who within the club runs the football infrastructure. ()
