Jac Morgan has just been left lost for words after receiving special surprise from Lions
Jac Morgan has just been left lost for words after receiving special surprise from Lions
Welshman Jac Morgan is set to start for the Lions against Argentina in Dublin tonight
Wales and Lions star Jac Morgan watching the messages from his family
(Image: British & Irish Lions )
Jac Morgan faces one of the biggest nights of his burgeoning career this evening but he'll do so in the knowledge that he has some special people behind him.
The Wales skipper has been named in Andy Farrrell's British & Irish Lions XV to face Argentina in Dublin tonight in the curtain-raiser for the tour Down Under this summer.
Morgan is just one of two Welshmen in Farrell's squad - Tomos Williams has been selected among the replacements in the Irish capital - and will be representing not only his country but his loved ones and community too.
Ahead of his first-ever appearance for the Lions, Morgan has been sent a number of messages from his family, with one or two famous faces sprinkled in as well. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
Former Lions skipper Sam Warburton and world rugby legend Richie McCaw both sent the Ospreys man their best wishes, but it is perhaps the messages from his grandparents and parents that prompt a lump in the throat after the Lions media team surprised him with a video compilation.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
Article continues below
"Good luck for the next few weeks, I'm so, so proud of you, and I can't wait to see you soon," his girlfriend says.
"Tough saying ta-ra," Morgan responds. "When you are going away for a long time, but to be able to have them there, to be able to share it with them because, you know, everything that my parents especially did when I was a youngster was take me to rugby and stuff. So being able to share it with them and having them out there to support will be fantastic."
His grandparents then come on screen, with his grandmother, speaking in Welsh, saying: "I just want to let you know, just enjoy yourself," with his grandfather adding "and good luck, you've got a massive opportunity here because you've played well enough to be there, so prove that you are special."
"And enjoy each minute with your new friends. Don't forget us now. Just enjoy, love," he gran ends with, before his grandfather adds: "And I tell you what, everyone in Brynamman wants you to do well."
Morgan's parents then deliver their messages to their son, with his mum beginning: "Hiya Jac! Good luck to you on the beginning of your Lions tour, it's a massive honour and we're so proud of you."
"All right Jac?" his father begins. "There's an outstanding opportunity in front of you, so get your head down, work hard and more than anything enjoy it. Do you best."
His sister adds: "Good luck, all the best, I'll see you out there!"
"It is nice, it's pretty special to be able to get the messages," Morgan says after watching the videos from his nearest and dearest. "It's great. Lost for words, in a way."
"Jac, good morning," Warburton begins in the next segment. "Congratulations, I'm sure you were pretty nervous on the Lions announcement day but I was pretty certain you were going to get selected. Ever since Rugby World Cup 2023 really, I think you really showed the world that you are one of Wales' world-class players.
Article continues below
"Enjoy the series, show everyone what you're about and I'm sure you'll fly the flag for Wales and do Britain and Ireland really proud. Can't wait to see you go, mate, hell of a player, can't wait to watch you go. Good luck, Jac."
Ending with a message from the one of the game's greatest-ever players, McCaw says: "Hi Jac, just want to say congratulations on being selected in the Lions. Amazing achievement and I just want to wish you all the best for your trip to Australia. Get stuck into the Aussies. Cheers, mate."
"Pretty special to have messages from them as well," Morgan replies having watched two legends of the game address him. "You know, when I was a youngster they were probably two of the best opensides in the world. Watch them play and everything they've achieved in their careers and to be able to get that message from them is great."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
13 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Tesco says sorry after running ‘meet the Lionesses' campaign... in Wales
Tesco has apologised for displaying a 'meet the Lionesses' advertising stand in a Cardiff store, which customers described as 'deeply offensive'. Wales's women's team will take part in their first ever major tournament at this summer's Euro 2025 and have been drawn in the same group as England. Shoppers in Cardiff were outraged by a Lucozade display that offered the chance for fans to meet the Lionesses, whom Wales play on July 13. Noel Mooney, the chief executive of the Football Association of Wales (FAW) was one of several people to share their anger on social media, posting on X: 'We are Cymru.' One shopper called on the supermarket to 'read the room' while another said: 'Must be lovely for our Welsh women footballers, walking in Tesco and seeing the England women's team. Disgraceful.' Tesco admitted the display had been put up by mistake and that it has since been removed. A spokesperson said: 'We're sorry this happened. We wish both the Welsh and English teams the best of luck in the upcoming Euros and know that many of our colleagues and customers will be proudly supporting their home nations throughout the tournament.' Players describe shirt row as 'extremely disappointing' It comes after Telegraph Sport reported that Welsh players were disappointed that fans were unable to personalise their away shirts for the Euros. The FAW unveiled a new away shirt earlier this year but supporters are unable to personalise the mint-green jersey – made by longstanding kit supplier Adidas – with a name and number, which has angered fans and members of the team. A current member of the Wales squad, who wished to remain anonymous, told Telegraph Sport: 'It's extremely disappointing that, as we prepare for the Euros, as we make history, we still can't get access to names on the back of our shirts. We've said for years, visibility is key and it is impossible for us to be in this history-making moment and actively choose against visibility.' In a statement, the FAW said: 'The Football Association of Wales want every fan to have the opportunity to personalise their Cymru shirt with the name and number that they desire. The FAW is in regular dialogue with Adidas and JD to find a resolution for personalisation on the WEC 2025 away shirt ahead of Euro 2025 this summer.'
Daily Mirror
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Emma Raducanu parents' boyfriend ban & Carlos Alcaraz's girlfriend difficulties
Tennis stars seemingly live a life of luxury, but there are certain aspects of the sport that can prove difficult, as Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz and Andy Murray know all too well Life as a top tennis player may appear luxurious, but the demanding lifestyle can come at a significant cost. Achieving success on the international stage requires more than talent - it takes an incredible amount of time and dedication to training. As a result, elite tennis players face challenges in their private lives, sacrificing leisure activities and precious time with loved ones, while forging romantic connections can also prove difficult - something that Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz and Andy Murray know all too well. During an interview with The Sunday Times last year, Alcaraz acknowledged the pressures of maintaining a love life, saying: "I am single. I am looking for someone. It can be difficult as a tennis player to meet the right person because you are travelling all the time." Just a year earlier, he told Vogue:"It's complicated, never staying in one place. It's hard to find the person who can share things with you if you're always in different parts of the world." Whether Alcaraz's personal circumstances have since shifted remains to be seen, but the tennis pro has yet to go public with a relationship. British sensation Raducanu, meanwhile, told The Times about a boyfriend ban in her household during her formative years as a player. She said: "My parents were very much against [boyfriends] as it interfered with training. When I was younger, I wasn't even allowed to hang out with my girl friends. A lot of the time I was very resentful, but it made me very confident and comfortable in my own company." After reaching adulthood, Raducanu went public with her relationship with Carlo Agostinelli in 2023. Sadly, insiders told The Sun the next year that they had split and that the relationship had "run its course". Even tennis veterans like Murray can recount the clash between professional life and personal affairs. Murray recently told GQ about the effect his career had on his honeymoon with Kim Sears after their 2015 wedding. He said: "When we got married, our honeymoon was in Barcelona, and I was doing a training block. "Essentially, we got to spend a couple of nights with each other, but I was practising during the day, training and going to the gym and doing all my physio work. [A honeymoon] is very important for most couples. "Maybe for her it was too, but she was willing to sacrifice that to allow me to chase my goals. She's super important to everything I achieved, so now I'm trying my best to make up for all that." He added: "She's been a huge support and a massive, massive part of my career. When you're playing, you don't always appreciate that. I think a lot of individual athletes - me included - would be selfish at times. You think a lot about yourself and your own performance, and your mood is reflective of whether you've had a good match. Say, I won. I'm in a good mood. I lost, I'm in a bad mood. "It's not really fair on the people around you. But even at the end, when I was struggling physically and was not winning many matches, and we had young children, Kim was always so supportive of me continuing to play because she knew I loved the sport and loved playing."
Scottish Sun
26 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Inside crunch SPFL talks as David Martindale reveals Livingston were ORDERED to rip up their plastic pitch
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DAVIE MARTINDALE has revealed Livi were ordered to ditch their much-maligned pitch. The Lions booked an immediate return to the Premiership by seeing off Ross County in last month's play-offs. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Livingston boss David Martindale Credit: Kenny Ramsay 2 His Lions team will be back in the top flight next season after their play-off triumph Credit: Kenny Ramsay And while top flight clubs voted in 2024 to ban artificial surfaces by the start of the 2026/27 campaign, Livi have just replaced their old plastic pitch with a brand-new MX Elite surface. While the timing has surprised some, Martindale insists his club weren't given a choice by the SPFL. Martindale said: "The season only finished a few weeks ago and we didn't have much choice. "There was a meeting between ourselves and the SPFL and we were told that if we were getting promoted, we'd need to lift our pitch and replace it. "So we've had a six-week window to try and source a training facility and a playing facility. "Naturally, that's going to have to be an artificial surface. "There's no way on earth we could put a grass pitch down, because where would we have trained? And the academy team and the women's teams? "It wasn't until we knew we were going up that we knew we had to change our surface. "It was all very last minute. I think long-term, we'll need to look at the strategy. "But right now, getting told we had to lift our surface and we had to have a new surface to be in the Premiership, there wasn't a lot of choice to be honest." Livingston boss David Martindale opens his heart on life before, during and after prison.. and the managers he admires most Livi were yesterday handed a difficult opening day trip to Rugby Park to take on Stuart Kettlewell's Killie on their top-flight return. The two clubs will also face off in Ayrshire in the Premier Sports Cup group stage. Martindale told Sky Sports: "We'll be fairly familiar with each other by the opening day! "It's good to be back into the Premiership and it'll be interesting. "There's been a lot of change in the year we've been away so we're looking forward to it." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
