Wayne Pivac and his fellow Wales selectors were out in force watching the Ospreys comprehensively defeat the Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship clash in Swansea on Saturday evening.
There were individual battles across the park and points to be gained in the quest for Wales places on the tour of South Africa this summer.
Nothing is likely to have been decided solely on the basis of one match.
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But sometimes impressions can be formed that take time to shift.
Who emerged in credit in some of the key contests to give Pivac a nudge? We take a close look.
Dewi Lake v Ryan Elias
Eagerly awaited this one, with the pair used as Wales’ starting hookers during the Six Nations. Elias began four of the games, with Lake wearing the No. 2 shirt against Italy.
But there has been no faster developer in Welsh rugby than Lake this season and he underlined the point with a display that was off the chart in terms of excellence.
His tachometer must have been under severe strain as he carried powerfully and repeatedly went back for more. When they’d finished counting, the Ospreys man had made 17 charges forward for 33 metres, many of his surges hard-yards affairs. Any coach will tell you how priceless such industry is to a team.
There were also two tries from the hooker, while he didn’t miss a hit in eight attempts and banged in a hundred percent return with his throwing — something that’s never to be sniffed at.
If Elias couldn’t match Lake with his carrying — three runs yielded four metres — then he can console himself that not many hookers would have been able to get close to the dynamic 22-year-old on the day.
Elias still performed well, with his line-out work bang on the money. He also showed typical resolve without the ball. Little gets past him and he unfailingly gives everything for his team.
But he was up against a man on a mission.
Winner: If Wales were playing South Africa next weekend, it would be hard to imagine Lake not playing. You can read the player ratings here.
Rhys Webb v Gareth Davies (and Kieran Hardy)
Nothing conclusive here.
Gareth Davies had the better of Webb for much of the opening half, breaking with confidence and pace, taking his try well and box-kicking accurately. His challenge is always to make that level of play his default setting.
Webb, meantime, made a number of errors in the first half-hour. But the Osprey stuck at it as his team moved into the ascendancy, with Davies not as effective in the third quarter.
By the end Webb was conducting the orchestra, the role he likes to play. His tactical kicking improved and he set up a try for Owen Watkins and tried to play the game at pace. As the second period wore on, the Scarlets could have been forgiven for thinking there were two Rhys Webbs on the pitch.
It was a three-way scrap, though, and the west Walians’ No. 9 replacement Kieran Hardy also gave a decent account of himself, with his solo try one of the moments of the match. The dictionary describes an opportunist as “a person who takes advantage of opportunities as and when they arise, regardless of planning or principle”. That’s Hardy.
Give him an inch, and he’ll take much more.
Winner: Too close to call.
Owen Watkin v Johnny Williams
There was a point when the usually mild-mannered Watkin rounded on Williams angrily after the Scarlet looked to kick the ball out of a ruck.
Williams didn’t bite back, perhaps because he knew he was in the wrong. The Ospreys threw salt in by venturing upfield and scoring.
That said, the Scarlet defended gamely, putting in 13 tackles. But he got little change out of the Ospreys centres with his attacking game.
Watkin performed solidly on either side of the ball, crowning his performance with a try. He is a player who rarely attracts plaudits but aside from missing Ryan Conbeer he defended well on Saturday and varied his game in attack, with an almost equal split between passing and running. His physicality was also to the fore.
Winner: A tight call, then, maybe just going the way of the man in black.
Michael Collins (and George North) v Jonathan Davies
Davies had been on top of his game, standing out against Cardiff and the Dragons, but it wasn’t his day against the Ospreys. He rarely received the ball in space and so had little opportunity to show himself in attack.
Don’t rule out Collins for a Wales call at some point over the rest of the year, with versatility helping his cause. He did well enough in the centre but arguably had more of an influence at full-back, joining the line at every opportunity and sending a number of bold passes out wide. He could be pleased with his effort, then, and if the Ospreys use him at No. 15 over the rest of the campaign it would be no surprise.
So could George North be happy with his effort. Yes, there was one missed tackle on Ryan Conbeer. But there was a lot of good to please Toby Booth and the watching Wayne Pivac.
North looked in peak shape taking the field as a replacement — dare we venture the suggestion he’s spent the odd hour or two in the gym in recent months — and put a significant physical stamp on the match.
Winner: Collins and North each put down markers to Pivac.
Alex Cuthbert v Ryan Conbeer
Two contrasting players, with Cuthbert vastly experienced, good in the air and capable of causing any defence problems when he’s at it and Conbeer still making his way in the game but a quick and powerful sort who knows his way to the try line.
Cuthbert worked hard throughout and played an important role with his aerial skills, while he also made ground as a runner and didn’t drop his head.
But a try hat-trick tends to settle most arguments on a rugby pitch. Conbeer three touchdowns were well taken, with the first and the third requiring the youngster to work hard.
Winner: The Scarlet takes this one, then.
Keelan Giles v Corey Baldwin
Not really a Wales battle, because neither has been properly mentioned in a Wales context this term. But, still, Giles might soon be.
The Osprey won this one hands down. Baldwin has talent and is versatile, but he had just two meaningful touches of the ball here and one of those saw him slap it forward and concede a yellow card. While the Scarlets were down on numbers, the game was effectively settled.
Giles caught the eye in attack and defence. He isn’t the biggest but he set an example to others with his covering in the early stages and ran dangerously whenever he had the ball.
The Ospreys have struggled to create space for him since he returned to the starting line-up but with pretty much all their big guns back they succeeded on that count against the Scarlets and the diminutive wing had a hugely influential game.
Winner: Giles is back - and ready to wow Pivac.
Gareth Anscombe v Sam Costelow (and Rhys Patchell)
“He’s brilliantly talented,” Glenn Delaney said of Costelow during the New Zealander’s time as Scarlets head coach. “He runs square and he fixes defenders, then he can ball play, preserving space for outside.
“He’s a gain-line 10 who can take the attack to the line. The other thing I enjoy is that he doesn’t shirk anything defensively. He will find the biggest bloke and go and try to hit him as hard as he can and drop him. That’s all you can ask for."
For the avoidance of doubt, that’s some endorsement of a young player. And Wayne Pivac is said to have been impressed with Costelow in the match.
At this point, he’s only likely to feature in the Wales squad in the event of injuries, but it would be a surprise if his time didn’t come at some stage.
He quite looked the part in the early stages against the Ospreys, running proceedings with authority that belied his 21 years.
Gradually, Anscombe grew into the game. The Wales international mixed his game up superbly, keeping the Scarlets guessing. He also kicked accurately out of hand and rarely made a poor decision.
Sidelined for more than two years by a hideous knee injury, he returned at the start of this season but hasn’t found it easy to operate at the levels he hit before his bump.
But he was back to his best against the Scarlets. Playing as he did, maybe a renewed challenge for a Test starting place could yet be in the offing.
Anyway, as one of the top performers on the field on Saturday, he took the fly-half verdict.
A sublime passer, Rhys Patchell had barely eight minutes to show his quality.
Winner: Anscombe and Costelow each gave Pivac food for thought.
