The British and Irish Lions flanker made a heartbreaking announcement after starring for the Ospreys against the Sharks
Ospreys head coach Mark Jones has paid tribute to captain Jac Morgan after the Wales skipper led from the front for his side, days after the tragic death of his cousin and “best friend” Harri.
British and Irish Lions star Morgan announced on Sunday that Harri – who was also vice-captain of Brynamman RFC’s first team – had died suddenly last week. In an emotional tribute shared on social media, he said that his cousin “meant the world” to him and his family.
“This week I suddenly lost my cousin and best friend Harri,” the 26-year-old wrote on Instagram. “He meant the world to us as a family. He loved so much about life, but his greatest joy was playing rugby for Brynamman.”
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While he was left devastated by the tragedy, Morgan took to the field for the Ospreys against the Sharks on Saturday to honour his cousin’s memory, with a superb performance seeing him score a try as the Welsh side sealed a 21-17 win.
His match jersey paid tribute to his beloved cousin, with ‘In Memory of Harri Morgan’ written on the front alongside the Brynamman crest, and the Wales star said he “played [the] game in honour and memory of Harri.
“It felt important to go out there and make him proud, playing the game that he loved,” he added.
Now, Jones has paid tribute to his skipper, having been left blown away by the “tremendous” performance he delivered after such a challenging week away from the field.
“He led from the front,” said the Ospreys boss as he discussed Morgan’s display. “He had a tough week and he led exceptionally well and the players got behind him as well.
“What a way to perform in such a big game as a captain. He was tremendous.”
Heaping further praise on the flanker, who is leaving the Ospreys at the end of the season to join PREM Rugby side Gloucester, Jones compared Morgan to his former teammate and “triple threat” Justin Tipuric.
“I often think that a team replicates its captain,” he said. “Look at the effort and care that the players show for each other from the physical aspect, Jac epitomises that.
“He then brings the quality around the defence and the attack. His ball-carrying was very impressive against Sharks when gaining metres through contact against such big bodies, and he also sends the opposition the other way and is an absolute pain at the breakdown.
“The Ospreys have had lots of very special players and last year there was the retirement of Justin Tipuric, who was a triple threat when good at the set-piece, defence and attack,” Jones added. “Jac is very similar.”
Wales legend Shane Williams, who was commentating on the Sharks game for Premier Sports, said: “That sums him up as a bloke and as a player really. He is always committed, always plays well and always fights for the cause. What he does is he leads from the front as captain and it brings out the best in players around him. They look at him and think if he is doing that I need to get on his toes and keep up with him and get involved.
“His tackling, his ball-carrying, his tenacity, his work over the ball, even his kicking. He has got it all. He just doesn’t stop. He is brave as well.”
Fellow Premier pundit Tom Shanklin added: “He is a power athlete. He’s not the biggest, but the power output is absolutely huge. You can see that whether it’s tackling, whether it’s carrying, he is good close to the line, he gets a lot of pushover tries, pick and gos.
“He’s good in the wide channels as well. He’s got the complete game. He had been injured for a long time, but he came into the Ospreys team last month and he was straight back into it like he had never been away. He has got that mentality where he can be out for four or five months, get back in and just have the game of the season.”
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