Ospreys Condemn Abuse Directed at Luke Morgan
Luke Morgan, who played for Wales against Scotland in 2018, has been the subject of online abuse following an incident in a recent United Rugby Championship (URC) match that resulted in injury to Sharks' Ethan Hooker.
Hooker sustained a dislocated shoulder during last weekend's URC fixture at Brewery Field. The injury occurred as Hooker scored a breakaway try at the end of the first half, with Morgan diving in an attempt to dislodge the ball from his opposite number.
Hooker, who has earned eight caps, will miss the remainder of the URC season and faces uncertainty regarding his participation in South Africa's upcoming summer Tests.
Morgan, who earned a full international cap in 2018 and holds the record for most tries scored by Wales sevens, has faced targeted abuse on social media, which has also affected his family members.
Ospreys head coach Mark Jones addressed the situation, expressing his disapproval of the online harassment.
"I am not online for that particular reason. I don't like how things can transpire online, so I am not on it," said Jones. "I have heard and I have been sent stuff that he has had to deal with, as well as his family. It's a disgrace if people are going to target sportsmen around incidents like that on a sports field to make it personal over an event on the field."
Ospreys were leading 14-5 and were seeking to extend their advantage when the ball became loose, allowing Sharks to launch a breakaway. Jones, a former wing for Scarlets and Wales, emphasized that Morgan was making every effort to prevent a crucial score.
"Luke Morgan is a competitive guy. He's chasing back as hard as he can for his team in what was a tight game," Jones explained. "He's done his absolute utmost to do what we ask players to do, which is not give up until the ball is grounded."
Jones further clarified that Morgan's actions were within the rules.
"He's well within his right to try to dislodge the ball as Ethan Hooker went over. Ethan Hooker is a great player and unfortunately he got injured in that incident, but there's no malice in that challenge," Jones said. "It's really unfortunate that Ethan got injured – he's a top-quality player and we hope he won't be out of the game for too long – but Luke was just trying his best to do what he could for his team."
Reports indicated that Sharks requested an investigation by the URC into the incident; however, Ospreys have received no complaints from the citing commissioner, and Morgan remains available for selection against Cardiff on Friday night.
"He's a pretty resilient guy," Jones continued. "He's played professional rugby at the highest level. But I can imagine that as resilient as you are, you don't want to be having to deal with that on behalf of your family, you just want to get on with the sport you love."
Uncontested Scrum Controversy
The Ospreys secured a narrow 21-17 victory, keeping their slim hopes of qualifying for the URC play-offs alive, though the match was marked by controversy.
Sharks, who also needed a win to maintain pressure on the top eight, expressed frustration after injuries to their loose-head props Gareth Thomas and Garyn Phillips necessitated uncontested scrums for the final quarter of the game.
This situation reduced Ospreys to 14 players, yet the South African side, despite gaining a numerical advantage and introducing Springboks props Ox Nche and Vincent Koch, were unable to capitalize effectively at the set-piece.
South African commentators have directed criticism towards the Ospreys, but Jones defended his team's integrity.
"We at the Ospreys pride ourselves on our integrity," Jones stated. "We are pretty disappointed if people are suggesting that we didn't adhere to everything that we should be doing on game day."
Wales loose-head Gareth Thomas failed a head injury assessment on Saturday but subsequently passed another on Monday, keeping him in contention for the upcoming derby against Cardiff on Friday.
