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Toby Booth warns teenager Morgan Morse is far from 'finished product'
By Josh Raisey
Ospreys No8 Morgan Morse bagged what could end up being the try of the United Rugby Championship season on Monday in torrid conditions at Dunraven Brewery Field as his side won a Welsh derby against Cardiff 27-21.
At 18 years of age, Welsh rugby got a glimmer of what is to come in a player of the match display from the 104kg forward. But as impressive as his solo effort was from 45 metres out, as well as his all round performance, his head coach Toby Booth stressed after the match that there are still areas of his game that the No8 needs to work on.
Having only made his Ospreys debut in November, the 15-cap Wales under-20 international is clearly just on the foothills of a promising career, but the display against rivals Cardiff showed the potential he has in what Booth described as the "next wave" of young players coming through at the club. At the same time, he said after the match that the coaching staff are working on making the teenager a more "complete player".
"The boy's quick, right?" Booth said in his post match interview shared by the Ospreys after the win. "We know he's a talent, like Dan [Edwards] and a lot of the youngsters pushing through now, and we'll enjoy the next wave. That's exciting for us. These boys bring loads of energy and it's great to work with them because they want to learn and they want to get better.
"Morgan Morse, for example, has got great physical capability. Everyone has seen that. You've seen that with the under-20s when he played there before. He's quick, he can beat people, there's some good people around him to learn off and he'll be the first to say he's not the finished product because he's got some rough edges, particularly on the attacking side of the ball, that we're working on. If you can get that, you'll get a more complete player and ultimately he'll have more of an influence on the game."
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Latest Comments
Hopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
Go to commentsNot surprised to see Barretts rating. He has always been a solid defender for the ABs but not particularly effective in attack situations.
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