There has been one notable feature of Wayne Pivac’s selections during the New Zealander’s reign as Wales coach.
Every pick has been different from the last one.
He has named 26 Test teams and has switched things around every time he has sent a side out onto the field.
Sometimes injuries have forced his hand.
On other occasions, it has been a simple matter of form and the coach’s preference for the particular task in hand.
For the game with France, there are a number of alterations from the side that faced England.
MARK ORDERS looks at the main headlines.
Destroyer Navidi's return
Taine Basham and Jac Morgan may have done a fine job of looking after openside duties in the first three rounds of this Six Nations, but Josh Navidi has vast experience built up over 13 seasons of senior rugby that has seen him play 178 games for Cardiff, win 28 caps for Wales and tour with the Lions.
He is renowned for his selflessness.
When there are unglamorous tasks to be done on the pitch, perhaps involving work at the bottom of a ruck or halting the opposition’s biggest ball carrier, invariably the back rower from Bridgend steps forward to do them.
One of the reasons Warren Gatland liked him was because Navidi didn’t appear to bother whether his name appeared up in lights or not.
“Others make the headlines but Josh Navidi doesn’t care. He just gets on with his job,” said Gatland.
Pivac values him, too, having seen him return to the side against England in 2020 and make a huge difference with his physicality, grit and ability at the breakdown.
Just maybe the coach sees Navidi as being the right horse for this particular course.
Read more: France name formidable line-up to face Wales
Scotland failed to slow down France’s ball at the breakdown in round three and had six tries put past them. They also struggled to counter the speed of French attacks. Pivac will hope in picking Navidi, Wales will have a better chance of knocking opposition ball-carriers back behind the gainline.
It’s a tough ask to return to the Test arena just a game back into his comeback after six months out with injury, but Taulupe Faletau showed against England it could be done on roughly the same time scale.
Navidi is cut from the same cloth.
Seb's shock selection
“I want to evolve our game with the ball. It will take time but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
So said Pivac after his first game in charge of a Wales team, against the Barbarians in December 2019.
The project is still a work in progress, but in picking Seb Davies the selectors have opted for someone who has an uncommonly good passing game for a back-five forward. The Cardiff player can release the ball off either hand and is also partial to an offload.
Oh, and he beats people when he carries.
At 6ft 6in, he also offers commanding height — particularly important this week as Wales go up against a big French back row.
Wales started him at lock against Australia in the autumn and Davies responded with a rock-solid performance that augured well.
A good show at blindside against France would do a lot for his chances of featuring at the next World Cup as a utility forward, with versatility key for coaches on the global stage.
It won’t be easy because of his unfamiliarity with the position, but Davies has considerable ability and, if he can make sure he does the basics first, he could just make this one work.
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Lions star's omission
There were potentially a couple of issues for Pivac in the front-row.
Firstly was the question of Tomas Francis after the head knock he sustained against England at Twickenham. The whole world and his wife seems to have had their say on whether the Ospreys’ prop should be picked for the game with France this weekend.
Secondly, there was the matter of whether Wales should consider making prop changes, anyway, after Wyn Jones and Francis made zero metres with ball in hand at Twickenham.
What is to be said?
Wales’ medics are evidently satisfied about Francis’ fitness to play and the selectors are convinced about his on-pitch contribution, full stop.
Not only has he scrummaged well in this championship, he has also arrived at more breakdowns, 73, than any other prop in the championship bar Ireland’s Andrew Porter (79).
So he keeps his place.
But there’s a change on the other side of the scrum with Gareth Thomas taking over from Jones.
Thomas packed nine ball carries into his 35 minutes on the field in London, making 43 metres according to the official Six Nations figures. He also didn’t miss anything in defence. It was a fine performance that’s been rewarded.
His challenge is to deliver a big display as a starter against France.
As for Test Lion Jones, he will be fired up to produce off the bench.
Sticking with Cuthbert
Well, of course Wales were always going to pick Alex Cuthbert after his hot, hot, hot display against England.
But there were still plenty who felt Louis Rees-Zammit might have been chosen ahead of him.
Rees-Zammit did score a spectacular try for his club Gloucester in a Gallagher Premiership match last weekend. The fact that it was with his first touch of the ball after entering the field as a replacement would have underlined his status as a purveyor of special deeds.
But it’s an early candidate for the Understatement of the Year Award to suggest dropping Cuthbert would have been hard to justify.
Some have argued the big man found himself isolated at times at Twickenham.
But as has been pointed out, it wasn’t his fault the support failed to keep up with him.
Cuthbert can’t be penalised for making 50-metre breaks that team-mates can keep up with. It’s not his place to run slower so the support is there when opposition tackles come in.
No, the generally accepted rule is that a player who bangs in a nine out of 10 performance keeps his place for the next game.
Pivac has stuck by that.
Foxy’s back
It’s a chance for Jonathan Davies to make a statement.
The man who went into the autumn as Wales skipper hasn’t started a Test since the game with South Africa on November 6.
But actions as a support act have been impressive.
Davies has done everything that could be asked of him in training, helping the run-on side, and made his mark when he has had a chance off the bench, with his performance against Scotland outstanding.
An opportunity has opened up for him on Friday evening due to Nick Tompkins' concussion.
It seems fair to assume the Saracen would have started had he stayed fit, with Tompkins having a fine game for Wales against England and starring for his club in their win over Leicester a week on.
Whatever, it’s a gilt-edged chance for Davies.
Pivac likes him and values what he brings to the table, but the double British and Irish Lion is 34 next month and so needs to seize every opportunity with two hands if he’s to remain at the fore with Wales heading for the next World Cup.
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