How does Wayne Pivac revitalise the Wales squad after the Six Nations misadventure that saw them plunge from champions to also-rans?
Radical surgery, anyone?
Or is it too late for all that?
Well, it isn’t too late to try different options if the resources are on hand. South Africa awarded 23 new caps from June 2018 through to the World Cup the following autumn, adding fresh energy to the set-up, with the likes of Makazole Mapimpi, Cheslin Kolbe, RG Snyman and Herschel Jantjies going on to feature in the final against England.
Read more : Back-row duo 'must be in Wales conversation'
The key, of course, is whether the players are available. In Wales' case, it’s not altogether certain that’s the case.
But the line-up Pivac announces on Wednesday will still be intriguing, not least because it could offer pointers as to the coach’s direction of travel ahead of the global tournament next year.
There are still some questions he’ll want to answer before announcing his panel.
MARK ORDERS ponders what they might be.
1) What should he do about Rhys Webb and Lloyd Williams?
The two scrum-halves have been playing well.
Impressively, even when Webb hasn’t been at his best — in the opening half against the Scarlets recently, for instance, when he was outplayed by Gareth Davies — he has such self-belief that he has refused to allow his head to drop. He keeps making bold calls and against the Scarlets, as the Ospreys pack got on top, he morphed into one of the best players on the field in the second period.
But largely he’s been on the money from the start in matches for his region this term.
Some will argue his age — he’s 33 — should count against him, but advancing years also bring wisdom and experience. There isn’t much that will unfold on a rugby field that Webb hasn’t already seen. Nor is he ever awed about who he's facing.
Much the same can be said about Williams, who’s a year younger than Webb.
He’s long been one of the fittest players in Welsh rugby and he has hit a purple patch of form in recent weeks, directing play shrewdly for Cardiff and putting a stamp on pretty much every game he has played.
A hand injury means there is a question mark over the availability of Tomos Williams to tour.
It could mean an opening for either Webb or Williams. On form, both have been good enough to be part of Pivac's squad, but it's far from certain it will work out along those lines.
2) Should Alun Wyn Jones sit this one out?
It could be argued he needs rugby after missing most of the season through injury.
He also showed signs of significant form in his last outing against the Dragons, when he not only grafted strongly in trademark fashion he also caught the eye with a couple of ground-eating runs.
There’s also uncertainty at the time of writing over the fitness of Will Rowlands as he tries to battle back from a shoulder injury. If arguably Wales’ player of the season is ruled out, then it becomes more likely Jones will tour.
That said, at 36 the 150-cap man needs to be managed heading into a prolonged spell of rugby that leads into the 2023 World Cup.
In 2018 under Warren Gatland, Wales toured the Americas without the likes of Jones, Dan Biggar, Liam Williams, Ken Owens and Justin Tipuric, all of whom played important roles in the World Cup the following year.
The final call on Jones this time will doubtless be influenced by input from conditioners and the man himself.
3) Is there room to experiment in the back row?
Taulupe Faletau? Tick. Josh Navidi? Tick. Jac Morgan? Tick. Ross Moriarty? If he recovers quickly enough from surgery to correct nerve damage, there’s potential for another tick. It would be some achievement for Moriarty, mind. But his physicality is such that Wales would like him to make the tour. We’ll see how that one pans out when the squad is named.
Reports suggest Tommy Reffell is on course to battle his way onto the plane. Wales might also consider Seb Davies as a back-row option if Will Rowlands is fit and their second-row stocks appear in good shape.
Room for any more? Potentially.
Aaron Wainwright is out because of injury, so cover at No. 8 could be needed unless Pivac sees Navidi as filling that role. Wales had a look at James Ratti in the Six Nations without capping him but he is big and carries well, while Morgan Morris, Taine Basham and Ollie Griffiths are dynamic player who rarely let games pass them by.
There’s also James Botham to consider, a player who fronts up and has been playing well for Cardiff, with the abrasive Ben Fry on the list as well along with Taine Basham, a player who can shake any match when he's on his game.
The other Dragon in the frame is Harri Keddie, one of Welsh rugby's hardest-working and most physical players. Possibly, the concept of shirking is totally and utterly beyond him. He has certainly played as if that's the case this season.
No shortage of options for Pivac, then, but he needs to make the right calls.
4) What of the Scarlets midfielders?
Indeed, what of all the midfielders?
We’ll assume Nick Tompkins will tour as he’s been in form for Saracens and emerged from their defeat to Toulon at the weekend in credit. He’s busy, punches above his weight and doesn’t go missing in action.
Owen Watkin? As the only Wales centre to feature in every round of the Six Nations, he looks a good bet to be on the plane. The Osprey is solid, doesn’t make many mistakes and has held his form since the Six Nations — three important boxes ticked.
The call on George North is likely to be a medical one, with the Osprey only recently having returned from a year out with injury. Is he ready for the challenge of a series against South Africa? Might he be better served resting up ahead of a potentially gruelling 14 months? Or do the medics feel he’s back and so ready for any sort of rugby? It’s hard for those on the outside looking in to know quite what’s for the best.
But if North travels it’s likely just one of Jonathan Davies and Johnny Williams will journey with him.
There were flashes of the old Davies in the games with Cardiff recently, with the 34-year-old running hard and organising the Scarlets midfield intelligently. He was less conspicuous against the Ospreys last time out, but, then, the west Walians were under the pump at forward, making it hard for their backs.
In adversity, Williams was among those who fronted, putting in more tackles than any of his team-mates and making a couple of eye-catching runs.
It would be a surprise to see both Scarlets on the trip but much will depend on the verdict on North.
Also, don't rule out Michael Collins, a centre who can play full-back and has done so with no little degree of zest in recent weeks. With Wales potentially thin on cover at No. 15, it’s not inconceivable that Collins will get a call as a utility option.
5) What about the young lock?
Let’s all agree that it’s some jump from playing for Exeter University to facing Eben Etzebeth in a South Africa v Wales Test series.
But let’s also reason that if Dafydd Jenkins tours the republic as part of Pivac’s national squad he is likely to do so for the experience. Potentially, he could gain a lot from working alongside the likes of Adam Beard and maybe Alun Wyn Jones and watching how the Lions pair train and prepare for games generally.
Jones toured Argentina in 2006 and won his first cap at the age of 20.
But a series against the world champions on their own soil is a different proposition altogether, with the prospect of a 19-year-old being pitched headlong into a full-blown Test campaign against Etzebeth and Lood de Jager calling to mind a vision of Red Riding Hood taking on not one but two pretty unkindly wolves.
It shouldn’t come to that.
If it’s about the experience, naming Jenkins in the squad would be a decent shout because the 6ft 7in, 17st 11lb player has uncommon potential that could see him figure many times for Wales in the years ahead if he’s handled properly. You can read more about Jenkins here.
But he also needs to develop at the right pace, with too much not expected too soon.
You would expect the selectors to know that, mind.
