It seems reasonable to suggest that Wayne Pivac’s decision to take Tommy Reffell to South Africa with Wales this summer proved the right one with bells on.
But don’t forget about Jac Morgan.
Remember him? Of course you do — a Wales starter against Scotland in February and capped twice more in the Six Nations, after all. For a 22-year-old forward making his bow on the Test stage, the Brynamman product looked to the manner born.
Then the script started to go haywire, with Morgan cut from Pivac’s matchday 23 amid multiple changes for the ill-fated clash with Italy and left out of the squad completely for the tour of South Africa.
Wales’ head coach explained at the time : "I had a good chat to Jac around what we want him to do in the off-season and that's a big work-on in terms of what he can do in the strength and conditioning area.
"The game's a really physical game. Where we're going, South Africa, there are a lot of very big men. We've asked him to improve, if he can, in that area of physicality when he's over the ball, being even stronger than he is.”
It seemed akin to advising financial expert Martin Lewis he needs to buck up his ways when it comes to handling money.
Days later, Morgan was crowned the United Rugby Championship’s ‘Turnover king’, a title bestowed on the player who achieves the most possession steals during the tournament’s regular season. The west Walian snaffled opposition ball 24 times in 13 appearances. It was a stellar effort by any standard.
And there was no shortage of backing for him.
Sean Holley said he would have taken Morgan to South Africa, calling him a special player, while Gwyn Jones didn’t buy Pivac’s rationale for overlooking him.
“Saying that you’re not including him because he isn’t good enough over the ball at the tackle makes you wonder if you’re talking about the same person,” wrote Jones in a column for WalesOnline. “It’s an explanation that jars with me because he’s pretty good at exactly that. The stats show it, and anyone who's watched him play this year can see it. So it seems an odd reason to give to the public.
“Could Morgan be better at it? Sure, everyone can improve their game. Is Tommy Reffell better over the ball than him? Probably, but Morgan has a far more rounded game than the destructive Reffell.”
There were also howls of protest on social media.
Indeed, it’s hard to think of many Wales omissions in recent years that have been more hotly debated.
Yet since the three Tests in South Africa there have been few mentions of Morgan anywhere, with Reffell playing the house down in the republic as he scrapped and battled the Springboks. The Leicester Tiger was relentlessly brave and utterly fearless.
Justin Tipuric’s return from injury will further add to the openside flanker competition in the coming months.
But expect Morgan to stay in the picture.
Despite Reffell’s excellence in South Africa, the openside flanker position remains far from settled. “Picking Tommy was a brilliant selection from Wayne Pivac,” a former Welsh player who remains involved at the top end of the game told this writer recently.
"Really, he should have more credit for it.
“South Africa play a relentlessly physical game and to counter them you need players who are able to play in opposition faces. Tommy Reffell does that really well. He’s shown it in the Gallagher Premiership.
“It was a horses-for-courses pick by Wayne and it came off.
“But in other games, against opponents who allow Wales to play more, Wales may want to look at No. 7s who have constructive skills as well as destructive skills. Tipuric is one, a player who can do it all and has experience.
“Then there are others like Taine Basham and Jac Morgan, youngsters with a huge amount to offer.
“So I wouldn’t think Jac should be too down. If he keeps playing well for the Ospreys, I’m sure he’ll have chances again.”
Meantime, Morgan can at least savour the highs of last term. “My favourite moment was having my first cap for Wales… that was a hell of an experience,” he said in an interview on the Ospreys website.
“Very proud of it. It was a great reception… as it happened we were still in a bit of a bubble, so couldn't really mix much back home. It was all quite close quarters, but once we were out, it was a great reception. Everyone was chuffed and proud. I had loads of messages and phone calls from my mates, family, past teachers and everyone who helped me along the way.”
Typically, he’s not thinking about himself as the new campaign draws closer, saying: “I'm looking forward to the start of the season and just getting a run of games with the boys. Hopefully, we can be more successful this year than last year.
“We finished ninth last season, which is below what we hoped, so hopefully next year we'll be able to finish higher and carry on the run we had at the end of the year.”
What advice would he give to his younger self? “Just to enjoy everything I do,” he replied. “Just make sure that every time I'm doing something, I'm having fun — having no regrets about whatever I'm doing and making the most of the opportunities that I get.”
It’s an admirably positive outlook from a player with a lot to look forward to, notwithstanding the events of the past few months.
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