With the Rugby World Cup now less than a year away, opportunities for Wayne Pivac to experiment are dwindling away.
In fact, the upcoming autumn international series is probably the last time the Wales boss can roll the dice a little bit and give chances to players who he thinks could be useful in France, rather than knowing for sure.
Defeat to Italy in last year's Six Nations altered the entire complexion of the summer tour in South Africa because Pivac knew they simply had to, at the very least, put in performances that would satisfy the Welsh rugby public and the Welsh Rugby Union board.
So there was no experimenting, but it's thought that there could be some opportunity this autumn to test the waters little, particularly with players who have the capability of playing in numerous positions. Pivac has made no secret of his desire to accrue players who possess such a trait, given the 33-man limit on his squad at the global gathering.
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But, again, things have conspired against the Wales head coach. Injuries and form may well have altered his thinking heading into this campaign and he may yet be inclined to stick with what he's got.
Next year's Six Nations will see Wales go full strength in an attempt to win their final competition before the World Cup, so there will be no experimenting there.
It all combines to make his squad announcement next Tuesday very intriguing. These are the experimental calls Pivac is likely to be considering.
Dafydd Jenkins
Wales like what they see from the Exeter second row but he seems a little bit behind Christ Tshiunza, who is nailed on to be part of this upcoming campaign.
Former Wales skipper Sam Warburton is similarly impressed by the 19-year-old and tipped him as a potential bolter for next year's World Cup, though his progress will need to be expedited.
He impressed the Wales management when he trained against the senior side ahead of the summer tour to South Africa but he's just not seeing a lot of action at Exeter this term. Just the two appearances - one of which of the bench - are all he's had to this point.
The real concern is that he suffered a shoulder injury in a game against Sale at the start of the month and his outlook is as yet unknown. Exeter boss Rob Baxter was hopeful that surgery was not required but a return date is yet to be made public.
Still, Pivac may well be keen for a closer look, even if Jenkins isn't used this autumn and simply trains with the side, and he was willing to pick Tshiunza before he became a regular in the Chiefs setup.
Ben Carter hasn't really kicked on since his initial introduction to Test rugby either, so Jenkins may well have an opening there. Don't be surprised if he's included next week.
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Ioan Lloyd
The young utility back had a difficult introduction to Test rugby in the autumn of 2020. His debut against Georgia and a subsequent appearance against Italy saw him struggle physically with the demands of international rugby and, though he ploughed on admirably, he was a bit of a ship caught up in a raging storm.
He has not been involved in a Wales squad since and it looked as though this World Cup cycle was going to pass him by. It may still be too soon, but Pivac and his coaches are believed to be retaining an interest in the now 21-year-old.
Fast forward a couple of years and Lloyd has bulked up in size and he is starting to focus his attention on becoming an inside centre, as opposed to floating around numerous positions in the Bristol backline.
But he is seriously struggling for game time and has not featured in the first team at Ashton Gate this season due to injury and the form of his team-mates keeping him out of the side. However, Wales have not given up on Lloyd due to his versatility. He can play just about every position in the backline and that is viewed as an extremely useful attribute when selecting a World Cup squad.
That he hasn't featured this season other than in a Premiership Cup match will be going against him, but it doesn't rule him out of contention entirely.
Harri O'Connor
Pivac may well have his hand forced when it comes to tight-head because Wales have got serious issues there.
Leon Brown, who is viewed as having the potential to become the front-runner in the position, simply cannot stay fit and is once again ruled out of the campaign with injury. And Dillon Lewis, who performed brilliantly in difficult circumstances last summer, was an unexplained absentee when Cardiff beat the Scarlets last weekend.
It leaves Pivac with Tomas Francis as the leading, fit tight-head but beyond that the cupboard is looking a little bare. At the very least, Sam Wainwright, who made his debut in South Africa, is likely to be involved this autumn. And there could well be an opportunity for O'Connor, depending on the availability of other in his position.
The young Scarlets tight-head was a surprise call-up to South Africa last summer, so Wales obviously like him. If they want him to become a viable option next year, even if the likelihood is he'll only be an injury back-up, then he's going to need minutes at the top level.
Sam Costelow
He was the catalyst for the Scarlets' comeback in the opening round to pull off a draw against the Ospreys, having been comfortably second best in the opening 40 of the season.
In that match, he scored 18 of the 23 points for his side and picked up a man of the match performance. The feeling then was that if he continued in the same form, then it would finally be time for him to be called into the senior Wales squad.
He is now the club's first choice fly-half, ahead of perennial Wales third-choice pivot Rhys Patchell, who is not even getting into the matchday 23, with Dan Jones claiming the spot on the bench.
Such is Patchell's lack of game time, he will surely be struggling for a place in Pivac's upcoming squad, leaving that third fly-half spot up for grabs.
Costelow impressed the Wales management when he trained with the squad ahead of the South Africa trip but looked low on confidence in a Scarlets side that generally looked dreadful in defeat to Cardiff on Saturday night.
Cardiff fly-half Jarrod Evans is seemingly down the pecking order in the eyes of the Wales coaches but they'll need a No.3 in the position if Patchell is to continue watching the Scarlets play from the stands. Costelow might just get a chance.
Keelan Giles
Picking purely on form alone, Giles has to be a serious contender for a place in the squad. He has scored four tries so far this season and some of them have been utterly sensational.
The signs are that Giles really is back to his best and he will be commanding a bit of attention. But the one doubt will linger over his ability to be equally effective in the Test arena, where the game moves a lot quicker and the gaps are a lot smaller.
Wales will have question marks over his diminutive stature. Test rugby is not URC rugby and opposition fly-halves would look to kick on Giles and look to expose him aerially. Losing the battle in the skies is a sure fire way to lose a Test match and whether Wales will view Giles as a risk worth taking in that regard is up for debate.
Of course, he has electrifying speed, but that is not a commodity that Pivac lacks in his back three department, with Louis Rees-Zammit ably backed-up by Josh Adams in that department.
So there are question marks but if you never try, you'll never know, and this is likely Pivac's last chance to take a risk on someone like Giles.
Michael Collins
Pivac's fingerprints were all over Collins' return to Welsh rugby at the beginning of last season. He impressed in his first spell here, with the Scarlets, and showed promising signs during his opening block with the Ospreys.
But then injury hit and his impact from than on has really been a little limited. There are brief moments in matches when his skillset shines through but they are not altogether sustained.
Much like Ioan Lloyd, Pivac is not thought to have totally given up on Collins, mainly because of how versatile he is, covering centre, wing and full-back.
The issue is that his form hasn't really demanded Test recognition.
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