GATLAND SALUTES MORGAN
WARREN Gatland dubbed supersub Jac Morgan “a man possessed” as he pinpointed the crucial role played by the Welsh back-rower in the victory over Argentina.
Flanker Morgan replaced injured Ospreys team-mate Dan Lydiate after 27 minutes and proceeded to have a fine game, preventing what seemed like a certain try and carrying with real purpose.
Speaking on Prime Video, former Wales and Lions coach Gatland said: “I thought he made a massive impact. He was hungry. Not just did he carry well, he put a couple of big tackles in as well.
“He was going around everywhere, he was like a man possessed for the time that he was on. He wanted to prove something and I thought he did that.”
Former Wales skipper Sam Warburton described th 22-year-old Morgan’s performance as “phenomenal”, while fellow Prime Video pundit Jamie Roberts was also glowing in his praise.
“Jac Morgan wasn’t picked in one of the previous squads, with Wayne Pivac saying he was too small or lacked a bit of power,” said the ex-Lions centre.
“Well, he looks physical, he looks big, he was bouncing off players when he was carrying and his defensive effort was magnificent.
The man-of-the-match award went to No. 8 Taulupe Faletau, as Wales bounced back from their 55-23 defeat to New Zealand.
Gatland said: “I thought Faletau was outstanding. He was pretty good last week and just stepped up another notch today. I thought the balance of the back row was potentially the difference, with Tipuric going back to seven, Lydiate starting and then Morgan coming on.
“They dominated in the back row. The line-speed of Tipuric was outstanding.
“Wales grew into that game and got better and better. They will be pleased they have fixed up a lot of the things from last week.
“They won some collisions and put Argentina under pressure.
“Gethin Jenkins (defence coach) would have to be pretty happy with that performance.”
Warburton added: “Wales were so much more physical and aggressive. It was a massive difference from last week.
“The emotion behind their defence and the fight to come off the line and hit people was so much better.”