YOUNG GUNS

The road to rugby stardom is often long and arduous but Alex Morgan has already demonstrated he has what it takes when it comes to refusing to take no for an answer.

Rejected by Cardiff Blues aged 15, Welsh prospect Morgan packed his bags and crossed the border to Hartpury College, where he laid into the task of proving people wrong.

The move paid off when he was picked up by Gloucester U18s and, after a productive loan spell at Jersey last season, the winger recently made his Premiership bow at Exeter, where he did his burgeoning reputation no harm against a fully-loaded home side.

Morgan said: “It was huge going up against guys like Stuart Hogg and Jack Nowell and my family wondered if I’d come home in one piece, but it was a really good experience.

“It was a good reward for me, especially with the amount of work and effort I put in during lockdown, and to take the field against guys you’ve looked up to was brilliant.”

After playing his junior rugby at Llanishen RFC in Cardiff, a future in Welsh regional rugby briefly beckoned for Morgan before he opted to follow a different path.

Morgan, 20, explained: “I was with Cardiff Schools U15s but it didn’t work out for me in the combined side.

“I ended up with a choice of Whitchurch High School in Cardiff and taking my chances in the sixth form pathway towards the Blues from there, or I could try something different. I chose to go to Hartpury College instead and it’s worked out pretty well for me since then.

“I played for the college and then Gloucester U18s knocked on the door, since when I’ve made pretty good progress and am now trying to break into the first team.

“I got a crack with Wales U20s last year, which was unexpected, and then I got a chance to go to Jersey on loan which was a good experience all round. I was 19 when I went. You only hear good things about Jersey, so I learnt a lot and came back a better player.

“Having made my full debut, I’m now looking to press on and I’m learning a lot off experienced guys like Jonny May and Matt Banahan. We’ve got Ollie Thorley and other good wingers too but they’re good guys to be around and I’ll take my chances when I can.”

With full-back also a positional option, Morgan reveals how he took inspiration from two Wales greats as a youngster. He added: “I played fly-half when I was growing up so I always took inspiration from James Hook, who was in the Welsh side and played fullback too. “I looked up to him a lot and then winger-wise, you’d look no further than Shane Williams who did something spectacular every time he touched the ball. “There’s huge competition at Gloucester but if I could do a little bit of what those two guys did, I’ll be very

happy.”