Ospreys determined to keep Lake and Morgan

Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan were the 2023 World Cup co-captains for Wales

Ospreys head coach Mark Jones says they are determined to re-sign Wales flanker Jac Morgan and hooker Dewi Lake.

Both players are out of contract at the end of the season and have been linked with a move away from the region.

Morgan, 25, was the only Welsh member of the British and Irish Lions series-winning squad in Australia, while Lake, 26, captained Wales on the summer tour of Japan.

"I am confident they will want to stay at Ospreys and more than confident we want them here," said Jones.

"The noises we have from myself and the board is we want them to be part of our squad, but ultimately they are individuals and will make their own decisions.

"We are doing our very best to keep them here. The discussions we are having in the background at the moment are positive, but we understand individuals will make their own choices."

Morgan targeted by R360

Jac Morgan is in his second season as Ospreys captain

Lake is being targeted by England clubs while Morgan has been linked with the new breakaway R360 league.

Rugby's national governing bodies this week joined forces to deliver a significant blow to the proposed R360 project by declaring any player involved will be barred from Test selection.

A statement released by all the Six Nations unions, except Wales, is scathing of the rebel competition, urging "extreme caution" to anyone considering signing up, with South Africa, New Zealand and Australia also signing up to the document.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), which is in the midst of restructuring its domestic game, expressed support for the statement but stopped short of saying players will be barred from selection.

Instead, Welsh rugby's governing body says it "reserves the right" not to select players for international duty if they are involved in R360.

As many as 200 players are said to have signed pre-contracts worth up £750,000, but as yet none of them have made their interest public.

There are also no details of who is investing into the event, although R360 sources say it is confident it will be launched next year.

"I am not up to speed with how far R360 have got in terms of legislation and authorisation," said Jones.

"As far as I know, it has not been given the thumbs up from World Rugby so I am not sure if there is any threat at the moment.

"We just want to make sure we are doing our best to work with the WRU and secure our players for the regions and the national team and keep them in Wales.

"The R360 is a bit of blue sky thinking at the moment, with not much details behind it at the moment.

"I am confident we don't need to worry about that until we need to."

Waiting for future clarity from WRU

Dewi Lake has played 23 internationals for Wales

Jones admits he is waiting on the decision made by the WRU on the future of the professional game in Wales.

The WRU is to announce a revamp of the domestic game by the end of October which could lead to their four professional sides being cut to two.

Morgan has already told the WRU he will leave Wales if the Ospreys cease to exist.

"It is difficult, because while we know who we want to keep in Wales and who the priorities are for Ospreys, when you don't know what your budget is, it is difficult to make offers," said Jones.

"What has been great is the collaboration with the WRU around the players we want to keep.

"There is great alignment there and they, like us, see how important these players are to Welsh rugby.

"There is a lot of work going on with the agents and players themselves. I am involved in who we need to keep hold of, but then it is down to the bean-counters in what it is going to look like from a budget point of view."

Morgan battles to be fit for Wales

Morgan has not featured for Ospreys since returning from the Lions' triumphant tour of Australia in the summer.

The Ospreys captain had been due to travel to South Africa with his side for the second week of their United Rugby Championship (URC) trip where they suffered defeats against Bulls and Stormers.

Morgan picked up a minor calf issue while taking part in WRU physical testing and will now also be absent for the home match against Zebre in Bridgend on Saturday.

Jones hopes Morgan will be available for the next home game against Glasgow on 18 October, but says he should definitely be fit for the Welsh derby against Dragons in Newport seven days later.

This would allow Morgan to prove his fitness for Wales before November's autumn internationals against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.

Lake will again captain Ospreys this weekend in Morgan's absence.

"Dewi has been good with his leadership," said Jones.

"He has done a more senior role this season with Jac being out injured and away with the Lions.

"Since Dewi has come back from international duty, he has been excellent with the way he has led and collaborated with the coaches.

"He has also been able to deliver his own game. He has been hugely physical on both sides of the ball and has got off to a flying start this season."