With the Guinness Six Nations behind us, Warren Gatland will now turn his attention towards the Rugby World Cup.
Gatland will name an extended squad for summer training camps in Switzerland and Turkey along with three warm-up Tests against England (twice) and South Africa, but each nation is limited to a 33-man squad for this autumn's global showpiece event.
WalesOnline rugby correspondents Mark Orders and Steffan Thomas put their heads together to select the Wales squad they would take to France this autumn. It was keenly debated, disagreements were had, and compromises were made but this is the Wales squad they have settled on, injuries permitting, for the World Cup:
Back-three
It wasn't a Six Nations to remember for Liam Williams, with the Cardiff star in and out of the matchday 23. The 31-year-old was dropped after Wales' humiliating defeat in Scotland after finding himself on the receiving end of two yellow cards in successive Test matches but he remains the best full-back option available to Gatland.
A lot has been made of the need to go with youth but there are only two genuine international class full-backs in Wales, and one of those is Leigh Halfpenny. At 34, the man from Gorseinon is at the tail end of his career but he remains one of the most potent goal kickers in world rugby and is a reliable option.
Louis Rees-Zammit is one of the deadliest finishers on the planet and is nailed on for selection, while Josh Adams gets the nod despite a disappointing Six Nations campaign by his standards.
The omission of Rio Dyer will no doubt raise a few eyebrows given the way he has started his Test career, while Alex Cuthbert is also an option but we've rolled the dice and gone for Johnny McNicholl. He has been in scintillating form for the Scarlets this season, and was a standout player even when they were struggling at the start of the season. There have always been question marks surrounding his defensive play but that aspect has improved significantly this season, while the positives outweigh the negatives.
The former Crusaders star is a tremendous finisher but more importantly he is a playmaker who can create opportunities out wide. It's a gamble but we've given him the nod with his ability to play wing and full-back an added bonus.
Liam Williams, Louis Rees-Zammit, Leigh Halfpenny, Josh Adams, Johnny McNicholl
Centre
This was a difficult selection, and getting the balance right in midfield is crucial.
He remains a work in progress but we feel Joe Hawkins has the highest ceiling out of any centre in Wales, and will get better the more the plays. Hawkins is a triple-threat player and has more peripheral vision than any other back in the squad, while he can also cover outside-half which cemented his place in our squad.
One player who hasn't yet featured under Gatland due to injury is Johnny Williams. The Scarlets star fits the mould of the type of centre Gatland has historically selected. He is a unit with tremendous footwork who constantly gets over the gainline, while he is also an underrated distributor with a turn of pace.
George North hasn't been at his best of late but he has too much class and experience to be left out, while there is also the option of moving him back to the wing.
Mason Grady made a positive start to his Wales career but is one for the 2027 World Cup rather than 2023, and Owen Watkin is also a contender but we feel Nick Tompkins currently ticks more boxes.
Joe Hawkins, Johnny Williams, George North, Nick Tompkins
Outside-half
He hasn't played rugby since the autumn and he faces a race against time to make the World Cup, but we feel Gareth Anscombe is too good a player to omit.
Cast your minds back to Wales' 2019 Six Nations Grand Slam-winning campaign and it was Anscombe who was pulling the strings at outside-half, with Biggar used a replacement in the final quarter to see the game out. But a severe ACL injury in a warm-up Test against England at Twickenham ruled Anscombe out of the 2019 World Cup, with Gatland quick to emphasise how significant a loss the Ospreys man was to Wales' chances.
Anscombe has proven he can control a Test match at the highest level but he can also get more out of his outside-backs than any other Wales 10.
We didn't see peak Dan Biggar during the Six Nations but his selection was non-negotiable and when the chips are down the Toulon man is someone you want in your corner.
Owen Williams is unlucky to miss out, but we feel Biggar and Anscombe are the right men for the job with Hawkins providing cover.
Dan Biggar, Gareth Anscombe
Scrum-half
We feel Wales finally found the right balance at scrum-half during the latter part of the Six Nations, with Rhys Webb rolling back the years to put in two accomplished performances against Italy and France respectively. The 34-year-old brings control to proceedings along with a strong kicking game, while he still has enough left in his legs to challenge defences, as we saw against Italy when his 50-metre break to put Taulupe Faletau over for a try.
Tomos Williams compliments Webb well off the bench, with the Cardiff man making a big impression as a replacement against France. These two were easy selections to make but picking the third-choice scrum-half was tougher.
Kieran Hardy was a part of Gatland's recent Six Nations squad and he was a regular under Wayne Pivac, but we've gone back to Gareth Davies. By his own admission, the 32-year-old made a poor start to the season but he has been very good for a resurgent Scarlets side of late.
He was excellent in the west Walians' impressive victory against the Bulls, and made a strong cameo appearance off the bench in their brave defeat at Munster. Davies has his flaws but he remains a dangerous broken field runner who brings a physical presence at the breakdown, and is also an excellent defensive number nine.
Hardy and his fellow Scarlet Dane Blacker are also contenders, but Davies' experience and attacking threat has swung this in his favour.
Rhys Webb, Tomos Williams, Gareth Davies
Prop
Wales' scrum never convinced during the Six Nations and got taken to the cleaners against France in Paris. With that in mind, the first prop on our team sheet is the most destructive scrummager in Welsh rugby: Nicky Smith. We were both scratching our heads at his omission from Gatland's Six Nations squad, given he had taken both the Montpellier and Leicester Tigers scrum to the cleaners on successive weekends.
Smith is joined in the front-row by Gareth Thomas who is a real solid performer, and Wyn Jones. We did strongly debate selecting Rhys Carre ahead of Jones but in the end we felt the Scarlets man was the better scrummager.
On the tight-head, Tomas Francis and Dillon Lewis are pretty much nailed on for selection, although we took a while deciding the third-choice number three.
Until very late on, we had the Ospreys' South African prop Tom Botha, who qualifies for Wales this summer, in the squad while Scarlets youngsters Sam Wainwright and Harri O'Connor were also discussed. Botha is an excellent scrummager but offers little around the park, and given Wales' lack of ball carriers in the pack we felt obliged to give Leon Brown the nod.
Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Wyn Jones, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, Leon Brown
Hooker
As far as we are concerned, Ken Owens is a nailed-on selection given his experience and accuracy at the lineout.
Dewi Lake simply has to be there given his physicality, dynamism, explosive carrying and ability at the breakdown, although his throwing in remains a work in progress.
We debated whether we should give Bradley Roberts a spot, especially given the positive impact he made off the bench at Stade de France, but we feel Ryan Elias is the correct choice. The Scarlets hooker is one of the most underrated players in Wales, and brings a real physical presence with his tight carrying game very good.
He is the sort of player who does a large amount of the unseen dirty work, with his work rate in defence also impressive. One of his teammates told us he is the best scrummaging hooker in Welsh rugby. He just sneaks in ahead of Roberts, although his throwing in needs to be a little bit more accurate.
Ken Owens, Dewi Lake, Ryan Elias
Second-row
Now it's starting to get interesting. As far as we are concerned, Will Rowlands is the one player Gatland simply has to have fit for the World Cup.
It's not a stretch to say last seasons' Welsh player of the year has forced his way into the top echelon of locks in the northern hemisphere and Gatland will be desperate for the Racing 92-bound lock to recover from injury in time for the World Cup.
Throughout the Six Nations it has become apparent Wales need to strengthen the front-five if they are to stand any chance in France, which is why we've rolled the dice in selecting both Cory Hill and Jake Ball.
Hill's situation is complicated given the former Dragons and Cardiff star left Welsh rugby under a dark cloud after being involved in an unsavoury incident, along with two other men, which resulted in a woman's home getting damaged.
At 6ft 5ins and 18st 3lbs, Hill would bring much-needed physicality to the Wales pack and his athleticism and lineout prowess would also be of benefit.
The fans' Wales Six Nations verdict: Have your say
The change in Wales' selection criteria for exiled players, from 60 caps to 25, is timely as it has made Ball and Hill eligible for the World Cup.
Adam Beard was criticised throughout the course of the Six Nations but put in two big shifts against Italy and France, and his lineout prowess has earnt the Ospreys giant a place in our squad.
We discussed whether to omit Alun Wyn Jones given his age but his experience and the influence he will undoubtedly have on the squad behind the scenes has won him the nod.
Christ Tshiunza and Dafydd Jenkins both showed promise during the Six Nations but still have a lot to learn, and we believe introducing Ball, Hill and Rowlands can significantly strengthen Wales' pack.
But in the event that Ball, who left the Scarlets in 2021 to spend more time with his Australia-based family, does not wish to play Test rugby anymore, then Jenkins would take his place.
Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones, Jake Ball, Cory Hill, Will Rowlands
Back-row
We didn't even bother having a discussion about Taulupe Faletau as the Cardiff No. 8 was the first name on our list, while Justin Tipuric's supreme end to the Six Nations meant he was a straightforward selection as well.
Aaron Wainwright played well against France but we wanted a more destructive presence on the blindside and have therefore plumped for Ross Moriarty. The Dragons man, who may well be plying his trade in France by September, was a glaring omission from Gatland's Six Nations squad but we want the 28-year-old to play the role of the enforcer by bringing his no-nonsense approach to proceedings.
We debated long and hard about the merits of selecting Josh Navidi, who was a crucial member of Wales' 2019 Six Nations Grand Slam campaign, but his recent injury record went against him, while Moriarty can also cover No. 8 in the event Faletau is struck down by injury.
Jac Morgan and Tommy Reffell have both made an enormous impact in the red jersey since making their Test debuts last season, and we couldn't justify leaving either one out of our squad.
Taulupe Faletau, Justin Tipuric, Jac Morgan, Ross Moriarty, Tommy Reffell
READ MORE:
