Morgan, who joined Llanelli at the start of last season from Merthyr RFC, had an outstanding start to the season , with his performances in September and early October earning him a call-up to the Scarlets’ Regional side.
Ben, who grew up in Gloucestershire, played for Blues Under 20s and Merthyr before being recruited by the Scarlets set-up. He played three games for Llanelli in October, two in the Premiership in the gamesagainst Cross Keys and The Wanderers and he received plaudits for his role in the British and Irish Cup victory over Munster in Waterford.
The Premiership coaches and WRU performance staff choose the Player of the Month, who receives £100 from the Premiership title sponsor, Principality Building Society.
He said of the news, “We’ve had a really good start to the season at Llanelli, with the Munster win a key moment for us as a team. I’ve been given an opportunity to step up and play with the Region due to David Lyons’ injury, and my focus has been to take that chance with both hands. I’ll keep trying my best to develop and see what happens.
“Playing at Llanelli in the Principality Premiership has given me a great platform because as a team, Llanelli put into practice the thinking and playing structures of the Scarlets Regional side. That means that when you get the chance, you can hopefully slot right in.
“For now, I want to keep taking my chance. David Lyons is a fantastic player and I’m learning so much from him week in week out but ultimately I want to keep hold of the Scarlets No 8 shirt, obviously.”
Llanelli head coach Kevin George said, “Ben has done an enormous amount of work on conditioning and his all round game since arriving in the Region. He had a big influence in our game both last season and this, helping us to our current position in the table, and crucially, to our win over Munster in Ireland. He is very fast and agile for a big man and we see no reason he can’t go a very long way in his rugby career.”
Ben Morgan factfile:
Born: 18.2.89, Bristol
Nickname: Big Foot
Most admired player: Jonah Lomu
Most admired sportsperson: Muhammad Ali
Biggest influence on rugby career: Martin Fowler, former Merthyr coach
Education: Katherine Lady Berkeley School, Gloucestershire, undertook plumbing apprenticeship with Lloyd and Gravell, Llanelli
