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• A huge figure for us – Wales assistant extols ‘phenomenal’ captain Jac Morgan

  Wales captain Jac Morgan has been described as “phenomenal” following an immense contribution towards his country reaching the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

  The 23-year-old flanker has proved Wales’ stand-out performer in the tournament, inspiring pivotal Pool C victories over Fiji and Australia.

  Morgan’s level of leadership and all-round game defies a relative lack of experience on the Test-match stage that has seen him win 14 caps and captain Wales only four times.

  But his efforts have gained comparison with former Wales and British and Irish Lions skipper Sam Warburton, who oversaw a World Cup semi-final appearance at the age of 22 in 2011.

  Wales have already confirmed a quarter-final spot this time around, and they are guaranteed to finish top of their group if they beat Georgia in Nantes next week

  That would then set up a potential last-eight appointment with Argentina seven days later, with Wales having reached the knockout phase under head coach Warren Gatland for a fourth successive World Cup campaign.

  “Jac is phenomenal,” Wales assistant coach and forwards specialist Jonathan Humphreys said.

  “He is one of these guys where nothing fazes him. He is just the same kid all the way through the week, then two minutes before the game, just the same kid.

  “He is brave, and he has such an impact on the game, such an impact on the group.

  “Captaincy has not changed him one iota. He is a huge figure for us, and we are blessed in that (number seven) department with Tommy (Reffell), who is back fit now, and Taine (Basham).”

  Morgan was appointed co-captain for the World Cup with hooker Dewi Lake, and Gatland said: “He is growing into this role. He is still a young man, and I threw him in at the deep end.

  “He has been absolutely outstanding, and I have a huge amount of admiration for him.

  “He is definitely a player who leads from the front. I thought he was outstanding (against Australia), and he did exactly that. It was a brilliant performance from him.”

  Wales are preparing for a training ground return following a few days’ break after their record 40-6 win against Australia in Lyon that left the Wallabies close to pool-stage elimination.

  They will reassemble at their Versailles base, from where preparations will begin for Georgia.

  Wales full-back Liam Williams said: “To win by 34 points (margin) against Australia at a Rugby World Cup is a dream. On to the next game now.

  “Our pack was outstanding (against Australia). They got us on the front foot, and there was nothing more you could ask from a pack of forwards.

  “As the head coach said, it is about being a hard team to beat, and that is what we are being at the moment.”

  And lock Will Rowlands added: “It is not always the most flashy rugby, but for us it was so satisfying.

  “We put pressure on them (Australia) – good scrum, good maul and got the points and went again.

  “We are really pleased with how the three games have gone. Now everyone is switched on and focused on doing a job on Georgia so we can top the pool.”

• Manu Tuilagi warned special treatment may await him when England tackle Samoa

  Billy Vunipola insists England will rally around Manu Tuilagi in expectation of the Samoan onslaught he will face when the rivals meet in their Rugby World Cup clash.

  Vunipola, the Saracens number eight of Tongan heritage, has first hand experience from Japan 2019 of what it is like to be targeted by Polynesian opposition with a point to prove.

  It is a scenario that Tuilagi will encounter in Lille on Saturday week when Samoa are England’s final Pool D assignment before the quarter-finals.

  Now 32-years-old, Tuilagi moved to the UK from the Pacific island when he was 13 and even though he remains proud of his origins, Vunipola expects him to have a target on his back at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

  “I know for a fact that the Samoan boys, as much as they respect and hold Manu in high regard for what he has done for exposure in his heritage, they will want to go after him,” Vunipola said.

  “Everyone knows Manu can look after himself but we will be right next him trying to help as much as we can because they will be ready and waiting.

  “It happened to me at the last World Cup against Tonga when I remember getting put on my backside. I looked up and everyone was cheering on the side of the pitch like they won the game.

  “I am on the other side of it but if I were to put myself in a Tongan shirt I would think ‘let’s go get this Tongan kid or who thinks he’s a Tongan kid even if he is on the other side’.

  “That’s how I would think if I was in the Tonga team but I am not. I still remember the image of them cheering on the bench and it made me laugh. You just have to accept it and move on.”

  England face the prospect of colliding with Pacific island opposition on successive weekends given they are likely to face Fiji in the quarter-finals on October 15.

  The teams last met at Twickenham in August when the dangerous Fijians prevailed 30-22, securing a historic first victory in the fixture. It was an important moment for Islander rugby, but Vunipola felt only deflation.

  “You obviously have that link to what you have in common with them but at the end of the day I am representing England and I want to win,” the back row said.

  “As soon as I cross the white line against any Polynesian team, it’s like ‘right, how do we get the result?’

  “Watching the Fiji game in August there was no part of me that was thinking ‘oh great win Fiji, I am happy for you’.

  “I was gutted for the boys and was disappointed that we lost. It does not matter about history or they are Polynesian, it is just about the result.”

• Billy Vunipola ready to resume physical role for England when required

  Billy Vunipola insists he is ready to resume his primary function as England’s battering ram having played a supporting role against Chile which allowed others to shine.

  Vunipola is competing with the in-form Ben Earl for the number eight jersey in the final group match against Samoa on October 7 when Steve Borthwick’s team are expected to clinch their World Cup quarter-final spot as Pool D winners.

  Making his first start since completing a two-match ban for a dangerous tackle, the imposing Saracens back row found his ability to make a significant impact in the 71-0 demolition of Chile last Saturday curtailed by the all-out assault being conducted around him.

  “It’s funny to say this because we beat them quite convincingly but it’s tough for me to try and take all the onus on myself when everyone else is very keen to try and get the ball in their hands,” Vunipola said.

  “My role becomes that of a support player and as much as I want to have the ball in my hands, I want to put the team in the best position possible. So if that means giving the ball to Owen Farrell more often, then so be it.

  “Obviously having a lot of involvements is a positive. I would have liked to have had 15-16 carries, but at the end of the day that’s not what the team needed from me on Saturday. My role was to try and help the team and I felt like I did that.

  “But I felt positive coming away because the forwards put the backs in positions where they could run free and attack.

  “I’m supremely confident in what I bring in terms of my physicality and against physical teams I know I can hold my own. When I’m called upon I’m right here, waiting.”

  England have overcome an abysmal World Cup build-up consisting of three defeats in four preparation fixtures to dispatch Argentina, Japan and Chile with ease since arriving in France.

  Although the suspicion remains that they will struggle when meeting the type of heavyweight opposition they have yet to face, they will enter a likely quarter-final against Fiji with the wind in their sails.

  It has since emerged that their disastrous results last month were partly a consequence of their heavy conditioning programme, which has been designed to place them in the best possible position for the key phases of the World Cup.

  Vunipola uses David Haye’s world heavyweight title defeat by Wladimir Klitschko in 2011, which he blamed on an injured toe, to explain why England kept the knowledge of their empty tanks to themselves.

  “I sit here with a team that’s doing really well after what some people said was a disaster in August, but the work we were doing away from prying eyes was always going to bear these results.

  “It was just tough little period to ride through but luckily we have come through it. We couldn’t talk about it otherwise it would be seen as an excuse.

  “The only example I can think of is when David Haye was complaining about his little toe after he lost his fight.

  “It’s not something you can disclose but we were training really hard because our goal was to be ready and fresh for Argentina.”