Wales captain Morgan poised for Ospreys comeback

Wales captain Jac Morgan could make his first appearance since November when Ospreys take on Benetton in the United Rugby Championship (URC) on Saturday.

The flanker has been out since dislocating his left shoulder when scoring a try against Argentina in the autumn series opener.

After missing the Six Nations, the 26-year-old British and Irish Lion is in line to boost an Ospreys side chasing the URC play-offs by featuring in Treviso (15:00 GMT).

Head coach Mark Jones said: “We are looking at him at the moment and hoping he can have some sort of involvement.

Morgan missed the first four rounds of the URC after suffering a calf problem on his return from the Lions’ tour to Australia.

The flanker came off the bench in the draw against Dragons at Rodney Parade in October and then went off to Wales duty.

“The guys that have been playing while Jac has been injured have done a terrific job, but it’s always brilliant when you bring a Lion back into your environment and selection,” said Jones.

“It’s good for the competition for places and competitiveness around training. He has added a great energy to the environment, on and off the field.”

This weekend’s fixture against Benetton would be Morgan’s first game since it was confirmed that he will leave Ospreys for Gloucester along with Dewi Lake in the summer.

Jones believes the forward from Brynaman will be determined to finish with a flourish.

“He has put a lot into the Ospreys over the time he has been here, physically and emotionally,” said the head coach.

Ospreys are 10th in the URC, but are just a point behind Bulls, who are in the final play-off berth.

Jones’ men face a fortnight that will go a long way towards deciding their top-eight hopes before a trip to Ulster in the last 16 of the European Challenge Cup.

They face Benetton at Stadio Monigo on Saturday and then travel to ninth-placed Connacht.

Ospreys have seven members of the Wales squad back from Six Nations duty and will mix and match over the next fortnight.

“We are going to break them up and phase them back in,” said Jones. “They have had varying minutes and there are also some personal circumstances, but they will all be seen over the next couple of weeks.”

Hooker Dewi Lake – Wales’ captain in Morgan’s absence – and fly-half Dan Edwards had heavy workloads with Wales, scrum-half Kieran Hardy came off the bench five times and flanker Harri Deaves was a replacement against England.