Morgan: Hungry for more Six Nations action

Morgan is primed to win his fourth cap in Paris against the formidable French back row of Thierry Dusautoir, Julien Bonnaire and Imanol Harinordoquy.

The burly number eight has come a long way from the days when he worked on a building site, ate a high-fat diet and then turned out for Cinderford or Merthyr Tydfil on a Saturday afternoon.

When Morgan signed his first professional contract with the Scarlets in 2009 he was out of shape and "clueless" about fitness and nutrition.

But after shedding three stones during a punishing training regime, Morgan has emerged as one of England's stars of the Six Nations.

The 23-year-old has produced three eye-catching performances so far - and he is hungry for more against Les Bleus at the weekend.

"I was abusing my body a bit when I was younger, eating whatever I wanted," Morgan said.

"Working as a plumber on a building site, I used to go for fry-ups with all the lads and for the amount of calories I was eating, I wasn't burning enough off.

"My heaviest recorded weight was 132.5kgs (21 stone), and that was when I first turned up down at the Scarlets.

"I was absolutely clueless. It took me over a year and a half to lose the weight. Now I am 114-115kg (18 stone), I'm getting around the park and I'm feeling comfortable.

"The test this weekend will be huge. France have very good players in that back row, with great work-rate and very experienced internationals.

"You want to be going in against the best people. It's a great challenge and one you always look forward to."

Morgan made an impact off the bench in England's wins against Scotland and Italy before earning a first Test start in the frustrating 19-12 defeat to Wales two weekends ago.

England may have lost but the performance was encouraging, with Morgan's ball-carrying injecting a tempo into their attacking game.

"As we keep working together we'll only get better. We've shown that so far, and hopefully we can underline that against France," Morgan said.

Morgan's fitness regime included dragging sleds around the Parc y Scarlets and breathing through a snorkel as he ran on a treadmill in a weighted vest.

Having been turned into a Test player by the Scarlets, Morgan is leaving west Wales in the summer to fulfil a boyhood dream and play for Gloucester.

Morgan was missed by the local scouts as a youngster - although he did not help himself by falling off a mini-scooter and damaging his hip on the morning of a county trial.

"I went to Gloucester as a youngster and watched games from The Shed, sat on my dad's shoulders," Morgan said.

"I've always been a supporter of the club. All my family are from Gloucestershire so for that reason it's coming home for me.

"As soon as I made my decision to play for England I knew I would have to be in the Premiership because you've got to playing against the guys you are competing for spots with."