It has been a mixed bag of a season for Wales U20s, who endured a Six Nations whitewash but have improved significantly this summer under the guidance of new head coach Mark Jones.
Wales' next generation of talent came within a whisker of beating New Zealand while they also beat Japan and a strong Georgia side in between defeat to France at the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa.
While there are deep-rooted issues within the development pathways which need to be resolved, what this last month has shown us is there are a handful of players in this Wales U20s side who have the potential to thrive at senior level in the not too distant future.
These are the players we expect to be challenging for a World Cup place at senior level at Australia in 2027:
Louie Hennessey
At 6ft 3ins and 16st 3lbs, Hennessey certainly has the physical attributes to make an impact at professional level. The 19-year-old has been impressive all season for Wales, and was a bright spark during a miserable Six Nations campaign.
Assuming Warren Gatland is still in position after the upcoming World Cup, it would be a surprise if Hennessey wasn't in his succession planning for 2027. Gatland has always liked big centres who can get over the gain-line, and the man from Cardiff certainly fits the bill in that regard.
Hennessey has become more prominent the longer the championship has gone on this summer, giving Wales go-forward ball, especially against Georgia. He is also very strong in defence, making good reads, while his offloading game is very good, prompting legendary former All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams to take to Twitter during the Six Nations to praise his role in a great team try.
Of course, he has things to work on like his decision-making in attack but the raw attributes are there. He is currently at Bath, and it would be a shock if he didn't begin to notch up some Gallagher Premiership appearances over the next couple of seasons.
Archie Hughes
The 20-year-old scrum-half from Tenby looks ready to burst onto the regional scene next season. He may be one of the smaller No. 9s around but his all-round game is superb, with his service, box kicking, game management and threat around the fringes standing out.
There are many in the game who have already likened him stylistically to Wales' 2005 Grand Slam-winning scrum-half Dwayne Peel, who is his head coach at the Scarlets. Of course, he has a long way to go before reaching anywhere near the heights of Peel but he is in good hands at the Scarlets, with many at the region of the opinion he is one of the best players to have come out of their academy for years.
With both Gareth Davies and Kieran Hardy very likely to be away at the World Cup, Hughes is expected to start the season as first choice at Parc y Scarlets giving him a golden opportunity to put a marker down.
With Rhys Webb having retired from Test rugby and regional teammate Davies approaching the twilight of his career, that leaves Hardy and Tomos Williams as the top two nines in Wales.
Assuming he stays fit and keeps improving, Hughes could come into the senior Wales equation pretty soon. It would be a shock if he wasn't at least a contender for the 2027 World Cup squad.
Morgan Morse
Recently this writer asked someone involved in age-grade rugby in Wales 'who is the best prospect in this current U20s squad?' The figure in question replied 'it's Morgan Morse, and the rest', which gives us an indication of how special they believe the former Ysgol Ystalyfera pupil is.
Morse made his Wales U20s debut a mere week after his 17th birthday, and it is unbelievable to think the back-rower still has another two years to go at this level. It's no exaggeration to say he is one of the best players in the world at his age group thanks to his explosive carrying, ability to both slow and turnover ball at the breakdown, and relentless defensive prowess.
When Wales U20s were put to the sword by an enormous France pack at the World Rugby competition, Morse was one of the only players who could live with the French physically. What separates Morse from the rest is his decision-making under severe pressure. He is one of those players who has the knack of doing the right thing at the right time, a bit like Taulupe Faletau.
The question mark surrounding Morse is what position is his best given he can play across the back-row. There is no need to rush Morse but with the regional game entering a period of extreme austerity you'd expect him to make a breakthrough at the Ospreys in the not too distant future.
Fitness permitting, this guy will play a lot of Tests for Wales at senior level in the future, and could potentially be the long-term successor to Faletau.
Dan Edwards
The Cwmafan RFC product has steadily grown in authority and confidence throughout his time in South Africa this summer. Edwards showed glimpses of what he was capable of during the Six Nations but has improved significantly over the past month.
The 20-year-old outside-half is a very talented footballer who is a threat with ball in hand, scoring two tries, but it is his game management which has grown. Edwards was instrumental as Wales got the better of a Georgia side which boasted an enormous pack of forwards, and in all honesty it was the control at half-back which proved to be the difference.
His goal kicking has also been top notch, with the Ospreys man contributing 37 points so far this summer. With Gareth Anscombe and Stephen Myler having left the Ospreys, you would expect to see Edwards getting a lot more game time in the United Rugby Championship over the next couple of seasons.
Looking ahead to the next World Cup, Anscombe and Dan Biggar may not be around on the international stage in 2027 and Edwards' Ospreys colleague Owen Williams will be 35 by the time it kicks off. Edwards is likely to be a player in Wales' succession planning.
Lewis Lloyd
There's a strong argument to say the powerful hooker has been Wales' player of the tournament in South Africa. The lineout has improved immeasurably with him throwing in, while it fell apart against France when he did not start.
Lloyd will ply his trade at Swansea RFC next season while also playing for the Ospreys but it would be a shock if he didn't start figuring at regional level soon. He is a very physical ball-carrier in the tight, while the keen golfer is also effective in the wide channels.
He also knows his way to the try line, scoring three tries this summer, while he also put a lot of tackles in and is effective at the breakdown. Hooker is a position of strength for Wales moving forward, with Dewi Lake, Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias and Sam Parry in the equation but Lloyd at the very least has what it takes to become a solid professional player.
