Posted by When Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan were named co-captains of Wales’ national men’s rugby union team for the 2023 Rugby World Cup there may well have been a few eyebrows raised.
A 24 and 23-year-old, respectively, with a combined 24 caps who still aren’t quite universally agreed to be starters in a first choice Wales XV, leading their country into the biggest tournament in the spot. A culmination of a four-year cycle where a pool stage exit would still be an underachievement no matter what the background circumstances are.
It’s a major statement, but it’s a perfect marker of where this team is, where this sport is in Wales and, perhaps, where Wales is as a country.
As a squad the last 12 months have seen a well documented evolution of the age profile and experience level. Many players who have formed the spine of the playing squad and the majority of the leadership group have either become unavailable or called time on their careers, leaving new faces to come in and begin to make a name for themselves at test level.
Lake and Morgan are two of those who have made their mark as Ken Owens and Justin Tipuric are not involved, confirming themselves as huge talents and clear leaders within the squad. Lake as a powerful and combative hooker who is vocal and confrontational as a captain, and Morgan as a tireless and abrasive flanker who leads by example.
From the perspective of Rugby Union in Wales they also represent a changing of the eras in terms of how the sport fits in socially and culturally. The last eight months have been a really tough time for the sport with the catastrophic “leadership” of Steve Phillips and Rob Butcher ending up in financial chaos and, worse, ethical chaos with accusations of sexist and racist culture within the Welsh Rugby Union.
Now though a new WRU is emerging, and Lake and Morgan can be the face of that. Youthful, talented and respected. Welsh speaking young men from rugby strongholds like Bridgend and the Amman Valley taking the game around the country and to the world. It needs modernising and progressing, just as this co-captain appointment represents.
And for Wales as a country it’s a reflection of how we’re becoming more confident and courageous on the world stage. The football team have gone to Qatar, spoken Welsh in the press conferences and hosted a cultural area in Doha, now the rugby team can join them in being proud of who we are in the biggest arenas.
Previously the mindset may have been “little old Wales doing the business at a World Cup” in any sport, but now even with the background of financial problems and squad overhauls we can go to France led by two very impressive Welshmen and know that we won’t take a backwards step even when being written off left, right and centre.
Expectations are low on the outside, but with Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan co-captaining this squad there will be a quiet sense of wanting to show people what Wales are about from within this group.
Whisper it quietly, but new Wales are coming.
Cardiff Rugby Life 