OSPREYS: ‘I enjoy the hostility’: Morris relishing Rodney Parade derby

Morgan Morris knows exactly what is coming at Rodney Parade tonight.

The Ospreys number eight starts against the Dragons, and he is looking forward to it. “I enjoy the hostility there,” he said.

“I think the fans are great there, to be fair to them. They’re loud for the full 80 minutes and they will be giving us some for the full 80 minutes.”

Head coach Mark Jones believes tonight’s derby is a sell-out.

Newport has not always been kind to the Ospreys. Last season’s visit ended 19-19.

“I enjoy playing there. It’s a tough place for us to go. We haven’t always been on the right side of the result,” Morris said. “But the atmosphere they bring, the fans, they’re class there, to be fair.”

‘They’re a dangerous team at the minute’

Filo Tiatia’s side are unbeaten after a draw at Benetton and a 38-26 win over the Scarlets.

Morris has seen enough of the Dragons to be wary. “They’re a dangerous team at the minute. I think looking at their last two games, they’ve played some good rugby, and they’ve varied their style a lot over the two games, so they can show they can do a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” he said.

“I think they’re going to be a tough team on Friday, but hopefully we’ll do enough to get the better of them.”

The Ospreys come home from two defeats in South Africa: 41-24 to the Sharks, with a bonus point, and 35-19 to the Lions. “Obviously disappointed with how the results went; we’re a bit gutted with that,” Morris said. “To come away with a point from one of the hardest places to go in the league, to be fair I think we showed ourselves well.”

“It’s good to be back home and good to be firing into a Welsh derby straight off the back of a tough two weeks. It’s good for us.”

Wright ‘world class’ after Jac Morgan’s exit

Morris packs down in a back row with Liam Wright at six. The Australian was one of the signings Jones made to replace the leadership lost when Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake left.

Morris says it has worked. “He’s bought into the culture and everything of the team, and I think what he’s brought is second to none. It’s world class, to be fair to him,” he said.

“You can see that not just from his ability on the pitch, but also how he gets on with the boys and how the boys react to him. I think everyone respects him and he’s earned that respect.”

He does not pretend Morgan was easy to replace. “We can’t hide away from it, obviously Jac, who was world class for us, and he’s one of my favourite players to play with,” Morris said.

“He’s probably a very different style player to Jac, but what he does bring is a very calming influence on the pitch, in the line-out and around the park.”

Morris believes leadership comes naturally to Wright. “He was a captain for the Reds, he’s been a captain for the Wallabies. It’s not really hard for him to get back into the fold of a rugby team just because of the person he is and the personality,” he said.

“From day one when he came over, I think he fitted like a glove.”

St Helen’s can wait

After Newport comes the first European game. Then, on 24 October, the Ospreys play their first game at the rebuilt St Helen’s, against the Dragons again.

Morris is not looking that far ahead. “We know how important this game is and the start of our European journey is, so we can’t look past this week, we can’t look past next week before we get to the home game,” he said.

“Speaking to people outside of this place, we know how exciting the prospect of St Helen’s is. So, of course, it’s a massive thing on us as well to be able to play there. But we’ve got the importance of winning our first Welsh derby and winning our first European game before we get to that.”

Kick-off at Rodney Parade is 7.45pm.