Much has been made about Wales' apparent lack of strength in depth recently, but one area where they do not want for numbers is at openside flanker.
Max Boyce once wrote a song about Wales' mythical outside-half factory, but were he to wax lyrical today it would be about the number seven jersey.
Justin Tipuric has held the openside flanker berth in an iron grip, bar the odd period where he has been absent through injury, since Sam Warburton hung up his boots in 2019.
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Tommy Reffell and Jac Morgan are firmly in position as the heirs apparent, while Taine Basham is also in the mix.
But over the past few weeks two players have given Warren Gatland a timely reminder that there is more than just Reffell and Morgan waiting in the wings.
On Friday night the Scarlets famously took the scalp French giants Clermont Auvergne in Llanelli. While Sam Costelow was man of the match, their captain Josh Macleod was totemic in what was a phenomenal rearguard effort.
He's not a player who grabs the headlines, the unsung man in the Scarlets pack, but led from the front putting in a sensational defensive shift, while he won one turnover and two crucial penalties near the end which nudged Dwayne Peel's men over the line.
While Macleod finally made his Test debut in the autumn, after a few cruel near misses through injury, unfortunately that first cap was during Wales' defeat to Georgia, which has tainted him in the eyes of some.
Many dismissed Macleod, due to the 26-year-old arguably being too aligned with his former club coach Wayne Pivac, but he has the physicality, technical ability, the breakdown nous, work rate, and leadership skills to do a job at Test level.
Is he better than Warren Gatland's picks in the Six Nations squad? Perhaps not, but he is a player with a reasonably high ceiling.
Given Gatland is restricted to picking 33 players for his final World Cup squad the fact Macleod can play across the entire back-row won't do his chances any harm.
Up the M4 in Cardiff there is another potential contender who, rather strangely given his pedigree, rarely gets mentioned in general Wales selection conversations.
Cast your mind back to 2020 and James Botham was packing down against England at Parc y Scarlets against England in the Autumn Nations Series. Wales lost that particular game but the Cardiff man was hugely impressive and he looked destined to become a permanent member of the national squad for years to come.
But a number of injuries have prevented the 25-year-old from adding to his nine Wales caps. Historically, Gatland has always told his players they need to be the best at what requires no talent. Well Botham certainly falls into this category with his relentless work rate and brutish physicality leaving a mark on any opposition.
He is also extremely talented with his athleticism and ability in the wide channels a point of difference. Botham can also play across the back-row and is someone who can offer what Dan Lydiate did for the best part of a decade; a player who puts his body on the line, and tackles himself to a standstill.
Botham is the sort of player who makes the job of others far easier in a similar fashion to the way in which Lydiate complemented Warburton, and Taulupe Faletau.
In one Heineken Champions Cup clash against Harlequins at the Stoop last season the home crowd gasped as he smashed England no 8 Alex Dombrandt so hard he drove him backwards at a rate of knots.
In a similar fashion to Macleod he has a habit of winning key turnovers at crucial moments which never more evident than against Sale Sharks last weekend when he earned a penalty deep in the Cardiff half to secure a famous victory.
Botham has the potential to be the natural successor to Josh Navidi in Gatland's squad as an utility player who can cover the back-row.
"I'm sure if he can stay fit he's got to come into Warren's thoughts because of his versatility in the back-row," said Cardiff director of rugby David Young when asked whether he thought Botham should be considered for Wales selection.
"We have got a lot of sevens but a lot of them can only play seven whereas Jim can play in other positions, and more importantly excells in other positions. There's lots of quality there to look at but there's no reason he couldn't do it.
"The only thing that hampers Jim is robustness. He needs to find a way to stay on the field. He has one or two good games, and people start to get on the edge of their seats to look at him but unfortunately he gets a niggle and he's out again for three or four weeks.
"He's a fantastic athlete and he can play right across the back-row. We talk about six being a problem position, and he's somebody I believe could cover that position. He's powerful, carries well, and is good in the lineout. He is genuinely someone who can play across the back-row but we see him much more of a six than we do as a seven."
Reffell and Morgan deserve their places in Gatland's squad but rule Macleod and Botham out at your peril.
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