Wales captain Morgan to miss start of Six Nations

by · BBC Sport
Jac Morgan injured his shoulder while scoring a try against Argentina on 9 NovemberHuw Evans Picture Agency

Wales captain Jac Morgan will miss the start of the 2026 Six Nations after dislocating his shoulder in the autumn series opener against Argentina at the start of November.

The 25-year-old flanker has undergone surgery, with Ospreys head coach Mark Jones saying the British and Irish Lion now faces "four to five months" on the sidelines.

Wales kick-off their campaign away to England on 7 February before home matches against France on 15 February and Scotland a week later.

If his rehabilitation goes well, Morgan could potentially have a chance of returning for the final two games against Ireland on 6 March and Italy on 14 March.

"He's had his operation, it's all gone really well and he's on the road to recovery," said Jones. "He's in that race now to get back as soon as he can.

"It will be four to five months based on what we've heard, but obviously those things can change, we're just working off that at the moment."

Jones had to make do without Morgan for the first four rounds of the United Rugby Championship (URC) after he suffered a calf problem in pre-season.

While Morgan will prove a big miss going into the second block of games and the European Challenge Cup, Jones is not putting pressure on his return.

"I don't want to put any ceilings on Jac, we've got a good medical team here and everybody heals at a different rate," Jones said.

"He's working hard and I think I even read somewhere he's got a cryotherapy chamber in his house, so that tells you what he's trying to do and how quickly he's trying to get back.

"I know Jac will get himself right and will never compromise the team by coming back too early and not being 100%.

"I said to him don't score so many tries and then you won't get injured!"

Contract uncertainty

Morgan is out of contract with Ospreys at the end of the 2025-26 season, and previously said he would leave professional rugby in Wales if they fold.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) wants to do away with one of the four regions by keeping just one in the west, effectively putting Scarlets and Ospreys at risk.

Jones says there has been "lots of good news" around player signings, with Keelan Giles the latest to sign a deal, but Morgan and fellow Wales captain Dewi Lake have yet to commit.

"They have been quite clear that they are not going to be rushed into making decisions," Jones said.

"They, like a lot of us, are waiting to hear what the plans are longer term and then they can make some more informed decisions and I fully respect that.

"We've made our stance clear, we are speaking to both of them and have offers in front of both of them.

"We need to respect that they're focused on other things at the moment but as soon as we can get into deeper conversations, we'll be looking to do that."