Morgan says no to Wales and pursues England cap

The 22-year-old was born in Bristol but would have qualified for Wales later this month on the three-year residency rule and had attracted interest from Warren Gatland.

But after weighing up his options, Morgan yesterday declared his allegiance to England and he will immediately come into consideration for Six Nations selection.

England forwards coach Graham Rowntree revealed they had been watching Morgan for the last year.

“I’m delighted he’s decided he wants to play for England. We’ve been looking at him a long time,” Rowntree said.

“We will be looking, without pre-empting selection, to get him involved very quickly. He’s athletic, a big ball-carrying No 8 who is good at lots of things, a good lineout forward and good collision skills.”

Morgan started his career at Dursley RFC in Gloucestershire but has played the bulk of his career in Wales, including a stint with the Cardiff Blues Under-20s before signing for the Scarlets in May 2009.

England will be without James Haskell for the Six Nations, while Nick Easter’s international future is up in the air as interim head coach Stuart Lancaster looks to put the emphasis on youth.

Morgan will now be one of those Lancaster considers strongly for selection at No 8, alongside Gloucester’s Luke Narraway, Leicester’s Thomas Waldrom and Harlequins’ Chris Robshaw.

Although Morgan plays in Wales, that will not affect his availability for England because his contract pre-dates the RFU’s decision not to select players from outside of the Aviva Premiership.

Morgan said: “I feel privileged and honoured that both Wales and England have been following me. It has taken me a while to think over and discuss with my family before I came to the decision of where I’d like to focus my ambitions for the future.

“But I’m English, I grew up supporting England and as a youngster I always dreamt of playing for England one day.”