With the focus of Welsh rugby fixed firmly on a number of unsavoury incidents away from the field of play, it is easy to forget Warren Gatland's side actually begin their Six Nations campaign in a matter of days.
While Gatland only left Wales in 2019, the game has moved on as have several players who were in his 2019 Rugby World Cup squad.
Gatland has always had a particular way he wants his side to play but how quickly can he get Wales playing his style and what are the key selections he will be pondering? WalesOnline assess the questions Gatland needs to answer ahead of his first team selection since being reappointed head coach:
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Back-three
With Louis Rees-Zammit ruled out until the England clash, Gatland will have to tinker with his back-three. Both Josh Adams and Liam Williams will undoubtedly be two of the first names on Gatland's team sheet but with Rees-Zammit side-lined he has some thinking to do.
Dragons speedster Rio Dyer was one of the success stories of an overall poor autumn campaign but he remains a work in progress and given Johnny Sexton is bound to challenge his aerial game Gatland might be considering the safety blanket of Leigh Halfpenny.
Alex Cuthbert is an option and his physicality out wide has always impressed the New Zealander, as has his finishing prowess.
Halfpenny may not have the pace he had in his younger days but positionally and defensively he is as good as he's ever been. If Gatland wants to contain Ireland and nullify Sexton it may be better to go with Halfpenny at full-back, with Williams and Adams on the wings.
Inside centre
During Gatland's first tenure as Wales boss, whoever wore the No. 12 shirt was crucial to the success or otherwise of his gameplan.
During the early days of his reign, Gavin Henson was a player who the New Zealander would move heaven and earth for to get him on the pitch. Henson was a ball player with a strong kicking game who could also get over the gain-line but if given a choice Gatland would always go with a 12 to win collisions.
Jamie Roberts and Hadleigh Parkes were two individuals who were in integral to Welsh success under Gatland due to the fact they would dominate the gain-line and were unflappable defensively.
This is by far the toughest position to predict. Under Wayne Pivac's reign, Nick Tompkins was a regular fixture at 12, and even though he has been performing consistently well for Saracens, if history is anything to go by he may be a little bit too small for Gatland's liking.
Pivac ended the autumn campaign with Joe Hawkins at 12 but Gatland has spoken highly about uncapped pair Mason Grady and Kieran Williams.
Even though he is more comfortable at outside centre, 6ft 5in and 110kg Cardiff man Grady fits the physical mould of centre Gatland has always preferred. Grady has all the attributes to excel at Test level but it would be a big risk to start him against the number one ranked side in the world.
The more likely selection is probably Ospreys man Kieran Williams, who Gatland has compared to Wales legend Scott Gibbs. Even though he remains uncapped, the Kiwi has recently spoken of the importance of performing in the Champions Cup.
When recently asked why he has recalled Owen Williams to the squad, he said: "I thought [the] game between Ospreys and Montpellier was a proper game. That's where you want your regional teams to be playing at that level and competing at that level all the time."
Well, the other Williams was also outstanding in that particular game, as well as their victory over Leicester Tigers at Welford Road. He may not be the biggest but he's extremely explosive and can get over the gain-line while he also has a wicked sidestep.
Back-row
It goes without saying getting the balance of the back-row right is critical if Wales are to stand any chance of toppling Ireland on Saturday given the speed at which Andy Farrell's side recycle the ball.
Taulupe Faletau is nailed on to start at No. 8 but the who fills the other two back-row berths are less certain. Arguably the two best forwards in Wales at the moment are Jac Morgan and Justin Tipuric.
At 23 years of age, Morgan is already one of the best loose forwards in the northern hemisphere while Tipuric has been sensational for the Ospreys of late.
Gatland's first priority will be to select a player who can slow down Ireland's ruck ball and in that regard he needs either Morgan or Leicester Tigers man Tommy Reffell in his back-row.
It is likely he will opt for Morgan, especially given the way he has dovetailed perfectly with Tipuric at regional level. Another potential option for Gatland could be to select Christ Tshiunza at No. 6 given his lineout prowess and the extra weight he provides at scrum time, which was recently highlighted by Sam Warburton.
But Gatland will surely want his best players on the pitch and given that Morgan and Tipuric have been working in tandem so well for the Ospreys they are the strong favourites to start alongside Faletau in the back-row.
Second-row
Gatland has made a point of highlighting the age profile of his squad, and how he would have pushed through younger players if he had been in charge over the past three years.
Second-row has been a worry for quite some time with Pivac's front-five too powder-puff to succeed at times. The experience, size and leadership abilities of Adam Beard will likely see the 27-year-old fill one of the second-row berths, but who partners him?
In an ideal world there would be a younger second-row with a fair amount of international caps pushing through but this is not the case. Exeter Chiefs lock Dafydd Jenkins is a tremendous prospect and regularly captains his club in the Gallagher Premiership, while Ospreys man Rhys Davies was outstanding in his side's march to the knockout stages of the Champions Cup. Davies has the physicality to match Ireland but inexperience may count against him.
Tshiunza is another option and it would be a big surprise if he wasn't included in the matchday squad given he can play lock, blindside and openside.
But despite Gatland's concerns over the age of some players, the 37-year-old Alun Wyn Jones remains the favourite. Experience will probably win the day here and there is no man more experienced than the 167-times capped Jones. His leadership, lineout ability, physicality and all-round nous should cause Ireland problems for the first hour before he gets replaced by a younger model.
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