Cardiff star Matthew Morgan on the run. Photo by Ben Evans/Huw Evans/Shutterstock/BackpagePix

Matthew Morgan on the run. Photo by Ben Evans/Huw Evans/Shutterstock/BackpagePix

Cardiff player: ‘Shocking they dragged us out to South Africa’

In a since deleted tweet, Cardiff player Matthew Morgan has hit out at the URC and bemoaned being ‘dragged out to South Africa’.

Cardiff star Matthew Morgan on the run. Photo by Ben Evans/Huw Evans/Shutterstock/BackpagePix

Matthew Morgan on the run. Photo by Ben Evans/Huw Evans/Shutterstock/BackpagePix

The majority of the Cardiff travelling group was set to return to the United Kingdom on Thursday having been stranded in South Africa after the cancellation of their United Rugby Championship matches.

READ | CARDIFF SECURE CHARTERED PLANE FOR RETURN TO WALES FROM SOUTH AFRICA

However, a group of six have had to remain in a Cape Town isolation hotel after returning positive Covid-19 tests.

In what seems to be a social media post that has since been deleted, Cardiff player Matthew Morgan has appeared to lash out at the manner in which proceedings have played out.

Besides calling the URC a “shambles of a league”, he also said it was “shocking” that the team had been dragged out to South Africa “in the first place”.

Bemoaning the fact that the team was struggling to get home, he also hit out at the Welsh Government: “Get us the f**k out of here you clowns”, he wrote on Twitter, but the post did appear to be quickly deleted.

Latest statement from Cardiff

The sentiment from Morgan does appear to stand in contrast to director of rugby Dai Young, who paid tribute to Cardiff Rugby’s staff following efforts to get the club home from South Africa.

Young said: “This has been a hugely stressful and difficult time for everyone involved and equally our family, friends and colleagues back home but the efforts of a number of people to secure our return has been phenomenal. 

“Our Rugby Operations Manager, Gafyn Cooper and Head of Medical, Dan Jones have been fantastic here in South Africa and worked tirelessly alongside Richard Holland back home.

“Gafyn and Dan have worked tirelessly under enormous emotional pressure while Richard has been brilliant throughout and truly left no stone unturned.

“They have been supported by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and South African Rugby Union (SARU), who have been excellent. The support Trystan Bevan has had from Paul Stridgeon (WRU) and John Williams from PAS has also been fantastic, and Phil Davies (WRPA) has been constantly in touch with the boys. 

“The South African medical team supporting Dan and Prav Mathema (WRU) has been fantastic and also Amy Monaghan (URC) with Gaf and Richard. They are the main parties, which we have to say a big thank you to for being there alongside us throughout.”

A travelling party of 42 players and staff will be on the flight out of Cape Town, all of whom have returned a negative PCR prior to travelling to South Africa, two negative Lateral Flow Tests and a further five consecutive PCR tests, all with negative results, in Cape Town

Unfortunately in the time between CAA papers being denied, six individuals have returned positive results and have been transferred to a South African Covid-19 quarantine hotel. It is this that Young has struggled to accept the most.

He continued: “Of course it has been difficult but people’s safety and wellbeing is the most important thing and we’ll be treated the same as everyone else. It’s not ideal for professional sportspeople but it’s par for the course. There are a lot of people experiencing similar, stuck 1,000s of miles from our loved ones and our thoughts are also with them.

“What sits really uncomfortably with me and the biggest thing that upsets me is going home and leaving people out here. As a director of rugby that’s the biggest thing I’m struggling to cope with. 

“If it was an injury one or two of us would definitely stay out here but we are not actually allowed to do that in these circumstances – that doesn’t sit well.

“But they are in really good hands, the doctor is checking on them twice a day and all the medical things are in place if there were any issues, which there’s not.

“Thankfully all the guys staying behind remain in good spirits and any symptoms they have are mild. They will support each other and the people with SARU, who have been first class, we have total trust.”