Jac Morganpublished at 12:17 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
When World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi raves about you, you have to be confident of getting a place in the squad.
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencySummary
Wales head coach Warren Gatland names his 33-man squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France
Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake are named co-captains
Wales only take two scrum-halves
Jac Morganpublished at 12:17 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyDan Lydiatepublished at 12:15 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
The veteran of two previous World Cup is going to a third - 12 years after heading on his first to New Zealand.
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyDillon Lewispublished at 12:14 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Lewis hit the half-century of caps and goes ahead of his former team mate Assiratti.
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyDewi Lakepublished at 12:13 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Lake takes the final hooker spot - but is it a gamble given his injury worries.
With him and Elias struggling, Dee is the only fully fit hooker as it stands!
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyDafydd Jenkinspublished at 12:12 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
The Exeter forward has clearly impressed enough despite injury against England three weeks ago.
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyTomas Francispublished at 12:12 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Francis is heading to France next season to play for Provence but only after another World Cup for the experienced prop.
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyTaulupe Faletaupublished at 12:11 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Of course he got in.
Even on one leg he's still class.
However fingers crossed he can be fit having not appeared in any of the three summer matches.
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyRyan Eliaspublished at 12:10 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
The second hooker spot goes to the Scarlets number two despite an injury against England in the first warm up match.
Is that a gamble?
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyCorey Domachowskipublished at 12:09 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
The Cardiff prop only won his first cap this summer and showed what he can do around the field.
However his fellow Cardiff prop Keiron Assiratti has missed out. That's a blow for him.
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyElliot Deepublished at 12:08 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
The Dragons hooker gets the nod
But team-mate Ben Carter misses out.
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyAdam Beardpublished at 12:07 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
The Ospreys lock is in...
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyTaine Bashampublished at 12:06 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
And the first name announced is Taine Basham.
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyGatland's dilemmas - Hybrid players or back-row specialistspublished at 12:00 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyImage caption, Christ Tshiunza is among the many back-row options
Picking nine front-row players would leave space for 10 more to fill the second row and back row roles.
Adam Beard, Dafydd Jenkins - injury permitting - and Will Rowlands would be the favourites for France, with Rhys Davies, Ben Carter and Teddy Williams the other second-row specialists potentially battling to fill the final spot.
Christ Tshiunza and Taine Plumtree have been identified as players who can fill the hybrid flanker/lock position, while Taulupe Faletau's fitness will be scrutinised with the number eight's status as one of Wales' few world-class players meaning he will be given longer than most to prove his fitness.
With Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright almost guaranteed their positions, the remaining spots will be decided between Taine Basham, Dan Lydiate and Tommy Reffell.
Like Leigh Halfpenny, Lydiate offers experience and expertise in a specialist role, but whether Gatland chooses more versatility and youth remains to be seen.
Gatland's dilemmas - Front-rowpublished at 11:57 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyThe scrum has proved problematic during the World Cup warm-ups and the front five remains an area of concern.
Hooker injuries have been documented but there are eight props battling for six spots with three loose-heads and a trio of tight-heads expected to travel.
Corey Domachowski, Kemsley Mathias, Nicky Smith and Gareth Thomas are battling for the loose-head positions, while only three of four tight-head contenders - Keiron Assiratti, Henry Thomas, Tomas Francis and Dillon Lewis - will be selected.
Gatland's dilemmas - Centrespublished at 11:55 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyImage caption, Will Mason Grady make the cut?
The make-up of the back-three could impact on the midfield selection with two of the centres, George North and Mason Grady, able to double up on the wing.
There are seven centre options battling for four potential places, with Grady and North joined by Max Llewellyn, Johnny Williams, Nick Tompkins, Joe Roberts and Keiran Williams.
Inside centre is the headache with not one of the candidates - Johnny Williams, Keiran Williams, Tompkins or Llewellyn - excelling this summer.
A settled midfield combination has proved an Achilles heel for Wales coaches Wayne Pivac and Gatland, with 22 different partnerships picked in 42 matches since the last World Cup.
Gatland himself has used eight midfield men in 2023 alone.
He will probably choose only half that number today.
Gatland's dilemmas - Halfpenny in or out?published at 11:52 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyWarren Gatland has lost a lot of experience following the retirements of Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb and the back injury suffered by Six Nations skipper Ken Owens.
Now he has to decide whether he can afford not to lean on the services of Scarlets full-back Leigh Halfpenny, who enjoyed almost the perfect day by winning his 100th Wales cap and proving instrumental in victory over England in Cardiff.
As Wales consider potentially taking four players to cover full-back and wings, Halfpenny provides a specialist and dependable number 15 option alongside Liam Williams, who excelled at Twickenham.
Whether Halfpenny is selected ahead of wings Louis Rees-Zammit, Josh Adams, Rio Dyer and Alex Cuthbert remains to be seen, but Wales will struggle to fit everybody in.
Rees-Zammit and Adams could slot in at full-back, while fly-half Gareth Anscombe has also started for Wales in the number 15 jersey.
He is competing with Dan Biggar, Owen Williams and Sam Costelow for the three number 10 spots.
Gatland's dilemmas - captain?published at 11:49 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyWith Ospreys flanker Jac Morgan leading Wales in two of their three preparation Tests, he is odds-on favourite to be the World Cup captain.
The 23-year-old set a high bar during Wales' 20-9 victory over England on 5 August, and was resolute in the defeat against South Africa after again being handed the reins.
Gatland appointed a 22-year-old Sam Warburton as his World Cup skipper in 2011, and Morgan is of a similar mould, a performer who has huge respect from playing peers and coaches alike.
Lake captained the side against England at Twickenham, while Biggar and Adam Beard have also led Wales on occasions.
But Morgan seems set to lead Wales at the World Cup and appears to have the credentials for the job.
Gatland's dilemmas - Injured playerspublished at 11:47 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Image source, Getty ImagesHow many injured players can Warren Gatland afford to take?
This question will be the crux of his thinking when he is considering his squad's composition.
There are nine players carrying niggles ahead of the World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux on 10 September.
Fly-half Gareth Anscombe, wing Alex Cuthbert and number eight Taulupe Faletau are the only members of the training squad who have not featured in any of the three warm-up games.
Cuthbert (calf), fly-half Dan Biggar (back) and full-back Liam Williams (hamstring) pulled out of the South Africa match because of minor problems, in moves that were labelled "precautionary".
Hookers Dewi Lake and Ryan Elias, lock Dafydd Jenkins and back-row forward Taine Plumtree suffered injuries during Wales' home and away appointments with England and are battling to be fit to face Fiji.
Hooker is the main concern, with three specialists expected to be selected and doubts over the fitness of two of them. Sam Parry and Elliot Dee will be in contention because of these problems.
Williams dreaming of World Cup after cancerpublished at 11:45 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyCentre Johnny Williams is hoping to realise his World Cup dream after watching the last tournament from a hospital bed.
The 26-year-old was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2019, now he is battling to be included in Warren Gatland's squad.
"It would be hard to sum up in words considering where I was four years ago," said Williams.
"In 2019, I was watching the World Cup from a hospital bed and now have the ability to maybe be playing at the tournament four years later."
Williams was born in Weston-super-Mare and was a world champion with England Under-20s and turned out for England in an uncapped match against the Barbarians in May 2019, before the cancer diagnosis came.
He returned to action in January 2020 for Newcastle before joining Scarlets and committed to representing Wales, the land of his father Gareth, from Rhyl.
"My whole life since I dreamt of being a professional rugby player was about one day going to a World Cup," said Williams.
"Every working day has been towards playing for Wales and going to the World Cup."
Selection 'easier' after South Africa losspublished at 11:40 British Summer Time 21 August 2023
Perhaps the only positive for Warren Gatland to take from that defeat was that it made discussions easier over the weekend.
Wales' head coach and his management team were due to spend Saturday night and Sunday mulling over the final few places in the squad - but did a few people play themselves out of contention?
"It's made it easier for our discussion tonight about some of the questions we had," said Gatland.
"It was disappointing, I thought we were dominated physically on both sides of the ball.
"We'd spoken to the players about the physicality they'd bring and playing against the world champions who have just come out of a Rugby Championship.
"The only positive I can take is there's hopefully there's a lot of learning that some of those players will have got."