Latest news with #JacMorgan
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
🎧 Rugby Union Weekly - The Nations Pod previews second Test
In the latest episode of the Rugby Union Weekly podcast, Chris Jones, Tom English and Lauren Jenkins look ahead to the second Test between Australia and the British and Irish Lions in Melbourne on Andy Farrell make big changes? Will the fitness of Joe McCarthy force his hand? Has Wales' Jac Morgan done enough to force his way into the 23?Listen now on BBC Sounds
RNZ News
20 hours ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
First Nations-Pasifika XV push Lions to the wire in historic debut
First Nations & Pasifika XV's Seru Uru (R) reacts after scoring a try as British and Irish Lions' Jac Morgan (L) holds the ball during the rugby tour match against at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne on 22 July 2025. Photo: AFP / William West The first-ever First Nations-Pasifika XV team took the British and Irish Lions to the wire in Melbourne on Tuesday night, going down 19-24 in a tough battle. It was history in the making from the start, with the combined selection playing against the Lions for the very first time. Down 14-0 in the first quarter of the game, the First Nations-Pasifika team fought back to score two converted tries and claim a 14-all draw at halftime. In the end, the Lions scored four tries against the local invitational side's three to claim the win and keep their unbeaten tour record so far, intact. While the Lions were favourites to win the match, and looked like it was going to be that way, the First Nations-Pasifika XV turned things around mid-way in the first half. Captain Kurtley Beale, supported by some of the best Pasifika and First Nations players in Fiji and Australia, had a decent game against the tourists. He said it was a proud moment for the players and the team. "Really proud of the boys. It's a real special week this week to get to connect, and come out together and represent our families and our cultures," he said. "We came out and I thought we did what we said we were gonna do and that was to take the pressure to the Lions." Beale said he was hopeful that the First Nations-Pasifika XV team can be retained for future international matches against teams that tour Australia. "You can see how much heart the boys played with tonight," he said. "There's so much talent here and I think it's a great thing for all the young First Nations and Pasifika players watching tonight, hopefully they can look at this jersey as something they can aspire to in future." Player of the match and Tongan heritage player Charlie Gamble said it was tough game but the players fought hard for each other. He said the players did not give up, despite the Lions leading early, and they kept going until the final whistle. "You see out there the players were fighting hard for each other," he said. "Down a couple of tries early but you saw the fight that we have, came back. Probably the first 10 minutes of that second half probably let us down but we didn't give up until the end. "It's been awesome being a part of this and hopefully this team keeps on going into the future." First Nations & Pasifika XV forward Rob Leota scores a try against the British and Irish Lions at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, 22 July 2025. Photo: AFP The team was the first of its kind, with players from the First Nations people of Australia, Samoan, Fijian, Tongan, Maori and Cook Islands heritage. Gamble was one of the key players for the FNP selection, working with 95-Test Wallaby Beale and current Wallabies squad members Taniela Tupou and Filipo Daugunu. Other capped Wallabies players in the side included Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Darcy Swain, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Seru Uru and Lalakai Foketi. Prop Mesake Doge and lock forward Mesake Vocevoce represented Fiji, while Fijian Drua winger Ponipate Loganimasi was part of the squad. Triston Reilly, Seru Uru and Rob Leota were the try-scorers for the side. Jamie Osborne scored two tries for the Lions, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe got the Lions tries. A yellow card against Reilly gave the Lions a one-player advantage as the First Nations-Pasifika XV had to fight hard on defense for 10 minutes. That saw the Lions claim their first try. But Reilly intercepted a Lions backline move to score under the crossbar and in between the posts, and Beale's conversion saw them trail 14-7. Then a good forward drive near the Lions' tryline saw Uru pick and dive over the line, Beale converting again to level terms at 14-all. An intercept by Jack Debreczeni nearly gave the First Nations-Pasifika XV the lead, but the Lions drifting defence subdued the move near their line, taking the breather with a lot to talk about in the changeroom. Osborne scored his second after the resumption of play before van der Merwe strolled over to extend the lead to ten with 17 minutes to go. But the locals kept the pressure on and Melbourne-born Leota crashed through to close the gap again to five points. Had the combined First Nations-Pasifika XV finished off another good run towards the Lions line in the last 10 minutes of the game, history would have taken another turn. Lions captain for the match Owen Farell said they did not play as expected as their opponents pressured them throughout the match. "Massive credits must go to the First Nations-Pasifika boys," he said. "I thought they came after us tonight and they caused some trouble. "It was a tough 60 minutes to be honest, that last half of the first half was difficult as well." The Lions will now prepare to meet the Wallabies in their second test in Melbourne on Saturday.
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Proud Welshman Morgan hopes for Lions Test spot
Wales flanker Jac Morgan says he is determined to make Wales proud as he targets a British and Irish Lions Test team who missed out on selection to Tom Curry in the first Test, played 50 minutes in the 24-19 win against the First Nations Pasifika on Tuesday before being there being only one Welshman in a squad of 45 players, Morgan received a massive cheer as the names were read out at the Marvel Ospreys captain is aware of the support he's receiving from the thousands of Welsh fans who have made the journey.''It's hard to put into words," said Morgan. "I'm obviously chuffed and I'm trying to make everyone proud in a way."I've heard a couple of the cheers. It's great to have the support. There's a lot of Welsh out here." 'It would be a massive honour' Morgan is no stranger to a fierce contest for the seven shirt in a red jersey and has approached a similar battle on this tour with hard work and drive. The 25-year-old has been unfazed by any selection debates and headlines that arose last week when the first Test side was was given the nod at seven and excelled in the 27-19 win in Brisbane, with the second Test taking place in Melbourne on Saturday.''The last week has been no different," said Morgan."I've had the opportunity today and I just try and train and perform the best I can. It's a highly competitive position and Tom Curry was outstanding on Saturday. "He's a great player and so is Josh (Van der Flier), so the competition is always high in that position and we try and get the best out of each other.''Lions head coach Andy Farrell confirmed Irish lock Joe McCarthy has not trained this week following a foot there is still time for him to recover for the second Test in Melbourne, he remains a serious doubt for the McCarthy is ruled out, it would mean a forward addition to the Test squad with a number of different bench combinations possible, including another back rower the big stage of a Rugby World Cup, Morgan captained Wales to their greatest ever win against Australia in admits it would be some achievement to face the Wallabies while representing the Lions.''It would be a massive honour and a very proud moment to be selected.," said Morgan. Welcoming Tandy to Wales Morgan, who captained Wales during the 2025 Six Nations, has also welcomed the announcement of new head coach Steve has left his role as Scotland defence coach - a position he has held since 2019 - to fill a vacancy created by Warren Gatland's departure in February."It's great to be able to have a head coach now so we can look to the future," said Morgan."I've spoken to a lot of the boys and they've all said he's a great coach, but more than that he's a good bloke as well."
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Solid performance from Morgan'
2013 British and Irish Lion Alex Cuthbert at Marvel Stadium - "Another solid performance from Jac Morgan with a few turnovers. He worked well at the breakdown with Josh van der Flier."Interesting he's off after 50 minutes. Like Ben Earl last week who made the bench for the first Test."Maybe that's my Welsh side just wanting him involved this weekend!"
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
I'm Welsh and did not bother watching the Lions
Call it sour grapes, call it un-British, call it against the spirit of the Lions. Call it whatever you want, frankly. But, as a proud Welshman, I did not bother watching the first Test against Australia on Saturday. Everyone who knows me, and even those who don't, know I'm a massive rugby fan. I haven't missed a Wales game for decades. Not missed a Lions Test since 1997. 'Excited for the Lions?' is the usual chit-chat. The best I can muster is a shrug. I wrote, when the squad was announced, that I'd struggle to cheer for the British and Irish Lions containing only two Welshmen. That struggle has been real. I've not watched a single full game. I caught the second half of the opener against Argentina, and that confirmed my worst fears. I simply don't care. On tours gone by, I haven't missed a single minute. My friends and I would have worked out which pub will be serving beers from 8am to go with our breakfasts long in advance of the first Test. It's usually my favourite rugby moment of the four-year cycle. Better than Wales vs England in the Six Nations, better than the Autumn internationals and better, even, than the World Cup. But with no Welshman in the Test squad for the first time since 1896, the usual buzz has been replaced with, well, empty nothingness. I have no dog in this fight. Some might have argued that Jac Morgan deserved to be starting, or at least on the bench and his omission led to whispers from some of my Welsh comrades that they are now supporting the Wallabies instead. Tom Curry had a poor tour in the build-up to the Test opener and Morgan has been a Welsh rugby success story, which is rarer than unicorn excrement at the moment. We Welsh can't feel robbed at his exclusion, though. Yes, we might feel hard done by that Tomos Williams' dodgy hamstring got him sent him home after he had started the tour so brightly. But we didn't have a Lion involved on Saturday because our national team haven't produced enough good players, neatly highlighted by celebratory tears after beating Japan last weekend. Yes, Japan. Nobody consigns us to our 19th defeat in a row and gets away with it... dear me. So, for the first time in a long time, I did not tuck enthusiastically into a breakfast cider with an all-dayer mapped out ahead of me. Instead, I took the kids to the 11.15am screening of the new CBeebies musical The Great Ice Cream Hun t. It was as dreadful as it sounds and I fell asleep in the reclining chairs. I then got suckered into a £14 boat ride in the pouring rain. An infinitely better morning than watching a game I didn't care about. I'd got my fix of that earlier in the morning with New Zealand vs France. Isobel, three, insisted (rightly, it turns out) on wearing her wellies while Elliott, five, brushed off the fact his arm was recently broken falling from the slide on Nanny's bouncy castle. I didn't even check the result. And at the time of writing, I don't know the score or any of the details. Maybe I never will. Sitting down and watching that game would have been like going to a wedding or a funeral of a stranger. You might empathise with the emotions on display, but you can't possibly feel them deeply yourself because you don't know these people. I feel really sad about not caring, because I know I should. But I can't turn British instead of Welsh for a day if there's nobody there from the motherland. The Lions is no longer 'we' to me, it's 'them', and that is a tragedy.
