When Warren Gatland and his new look coaching team sit down over the course of this weekend to discuss the make-up of Wales' Six Nations squad the openside flanker position will provide the biggest selection headache.
Wales are blessed with a freakish generation of world class talent in the number seven jersey, rivalling even New Zealand and South Africa.
Justin Tipuric, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, and Taine Basham are back-row options of the highest calibre but Gatland won't be able to shoehorn everyone into his squad.
SIGN UP: Get the latest rugby headlines sent straight to your inbox for free with our daily newsletter
One player who Gatland will have to make a big call over is Reffell. The 23-year-old was nothing short of sensational during Leicester Tigers' monumental 44-29 victory at Clermont Auvergne on Friday night winning turnover after turnover as he destroyed the powerful French side at the breakdown.
Reffell has been on a par with Tom Curry and Jack Willis as the best openside in the Gallagher Premiership over the past two or three seasons playing an integral role in the Tigers' rise from the bottom half of the table to English champions last season.
We also know he can make the step up to test rugby with the Pencoed product playing a key role in Wales winning their first ever test match in South Africa against the Springboks while he outplayed World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi during their narrow first test defeat last summer.
His contribution to Leicester's crucial victory in Clermont can be summed up by his top class turnover in the 77th minute which led English rugby legend and top tv pundit Austin Healey to say on BT Sport: "After 77 minutes that guy's got an engine filled with fuel," said Healey. "After such a game filled with physicality, pace, width, and the metres these guys have run he's still able to get over there and do that it's a sign of his development as a player.
"He is turning into not only a fantastic club player but a real asset for Wales."
There were plenty of other rave reviews coming the Welshman's way on Friday night, with the Telegraph describing his performance as simply "sensational". Leicester fans were even more enthused, with suggestions on social media Gatland would be "insane" to not have him in his starting XV.
Taking all the above into consideration, Reffell is surely nailed on for Wales' Six Nations squad then right? Well, not quite.
If he was playing in any other position his name would have been pencilled in as soon as Gatland was reappointed following the dismissal of Wayne Pivac, but competition at openside is fierce.
While he undoubtedly has the potential to become a world class player is he currently better than Ospreys pair Tipuric and Morgan? It's marginal and it largely depends on how Gatland wants to play.
Assuming Gatland takes a similar tactical approach to his first stint in Wales then Reffell may well be better suited to his game-plan than the other options.
Reffell is no hybrid and is an out and out openside in a similar mould to former Wales captain Sam Warburton with his role in Leicester's back-row clearly defined. His jackling at the breakdown is probably the best out of all of Wales' options but it's his decision making, knowing when to contest the breakdown and when to back off which is mightily impressive.
His physicality in defence, his work rate and his sheer bloody mindedness is also a sight to behold but Ospreys man Morgan is his equal in this regard.
The advantage Morgan, who Gatland waxed lyrical about as a pundit on Amazon during the autumn, has over Reffell centres around availability.
Welsh-based players get together 13 days before the Six Nations opener against Ireland whereas Reffell is likely to arrive six days prior due to club commitments. He'd also have to go back to Welford Road during the Six Nations fallow weekends, and also at the start of a test week if not selected in Wales' matchday squad.
Who will win the Six Nations? Cast your vote now
For all the critics of the 60 cap law, the principles behind it are the right ones, and are based upon providing the national coach with the best preparation time with his players which isn't possible when so many are playing either in England or overseas.
"The ideal situation, as I’ve always said, is we want players based in Wales being selected from the regions," said Gatland when asked about the 60 cap law last month.
"That is always an advantage for players in terms of preparation time for Six Nations, summer tours and World Cups in terms of their release.
"That gives them a huge advantage by being based in Wales. That’s the ideal situation we want and hopefully we can keep as many as possible."
With that in mind Gatland won't want too many English-based players in his squad, and with Christ Tshiunza, Dafydd Jenkins, Louis Rees-Zammit, and Nick Tompkins playing in positions of greater need, it makes Reffell's selection less certain.
Gatland needs to decide whether Reffell is his first choice openside moving forward because if he's not a regular in the matchday 23 then the greater availability of Taine Basham, Josh Macleod, or James Botham could count against him.
But Reffell's mastery of the breakdown coupled with his all round physicality and work rate are traits which Gatland has always viewed with the utmost importance.
The Wales coach has a big decision to make.
READ MORE:
- Warren Gatland's very different Wales backroom team and how they're rated
Rhys Priestland set to leave Cardiff this year and plans totally new career
Nigel Owens warned Owen Farrell his tackle technique would get him in trouble during private talks
The long road back for the rugby superstar who could yet transform Gatland's new Wales
Who is Mike Forshaw, Wales' new defence guru cut from the same cloth as Shaun Edwards
