Wales captain Jac Morgan motivated by shot at major upset

Captain Jac Morgan says it is a "big motivation" for Wales after being widely written off against Guinness Six Nations title favourites Ireland on Saturday.

Wales must not only overcome the odds – they are a 25-1 chance with some bookmakers to beat Triple Crown-chasing opponents – but the statistics are also stacked against them.

They go into the game on a record run of 14 successive Test defeats, eight Six Nations losses on the bounce and seven Test reversals in a row at the Principality Stadium.

Wales have not won a Six Nations match on home soil since February 2022, more than 1,100 days ago, and their recent record against Ireland shows seven defeats from the last eight starts.

It would represent arguably the biggest shock in Six Nations history if Wales rip up a form-book that includes their opponents standing 10 places above them in World Rugby's official rankings.

"It is a big motivation," Morgan said.

"Everyone is writing us off in a way, so it is an opportunity for us to be confident in ourselves, create an atmosphere within the group and perform to the best we can be and hopefully prove people wrong."

Wales’ dire defeat against Italy in Rome a fortnight ago proved to be the final one with Warren Gatland as head coach.

Gatland’s departure followed within 72 hours, and Cardiff boss Matt Sherratt was appointed on an interim basis, covering Wales’ final three Six Nations appointments with Ireland, Scotland and England.

They now face an Irish team chasing an historic hat-trick of Six Nations title triumphs.

Morgan said: "We have had this game to concentrate on, so it has just been back to the training field and getting ready for this weekend.

"We have just spoken about sticking to what we’ve done this week. There are certain