This time next week the Rugby World Cup will be under way and the waiting game will be over. For Ben Morgan, in particular, it has been a relentless slog simply to get this far, his recovery from a broken leg and ankle damage having dominated his professional life since late January. Merely lining up his World Cup debut will be a triumph in itself.
In Morgan’s case there is also the sizeable carrot of a starting place at No8 against Fiji, with England scheduled to confirm their lineup on Monday. The big Gloucester forward did sufficiently well against Ireland a week ago to convince his coaches he is nearing full throttle and, if he starts, there will be no more grateful player on the field.
“I decided early on that if I made it, I made it,” explains Morgan, reflecting on the mental demands of his eight-month recuperation period. “There were no demons or anything like that. I just accepted that, providing I did everything I could, I’d accept the outcome. I was not going to get hung up about it.”
Along with everyone else, nevertheless, the 26-year-old Morgan knows the biggest eight weeks of his life await. When he starts games well England tend to do likewise and he feels England can ill-afford to tiptoe into Friday’s opening game against Fiji.
“One defeat and that could be it, particularly in a group as difficult as ours. Having never played in a World Cup it will be something wholly new but I do know you have to be right up there from the first whistle, with no slip-ups allowed.
“In our second warm-up game against France in Paris, for example, we were slow out of the blocks and left ourselves a lot of work to catch up.”
He also needs no telling how motivated Fiji will be, having played in the same Gloucester back row as the opposing captain, Akapusi Qera. “I would say anyone would be a fool to underestimate Fiji. You only have to look at their performance against Canada last week. They have threats all across the field, their set piece has tightened up and they can attack from anywhere. I played a few years with ‘Q’ at Gloucester, and he is going to be a really important member of their team, especially as captain.
“When he starts speaking, he’s the sort of person you listen to. I can only imagine the sort of stuff he’s saying to his squad ahead of playing England. I’d say a lot of it will be emotionally driven. That’s why it is so very important we get our preparation spot-on. It’s a momentous occasion, curtain up on the World Cup, and they have first crack at the host nation. It’s essential everyone knows their roles, that we know what our jobs are and we go out and get it right.”
The sharp improvement in terms of England’s forward intensity against Ireland, however, has clearly given everyone a timely boost. “My confidence has gone right up as a result of the half I played against France and then the Ireland game. I’m confident I am back to where I was,” insists Morgan, hopeful his nick-of-time recovery will promote him above his No8 rival Billy Vunipola.
Starting role or not, Morgan will do his best not to surrender to excessive emotion once the anthems commence at Twickenham.
“I will feel a lot of pride first of all. Otherwise, all that will be going through my head is my job and doing it properly. It will be the same for all my team-mates. You have the whole country behind you and you don’t want to let them down.”
