Historically, Warren Gatland has never been shy of taking a punt or two on talented young players and throwing them in at the deep end.
Think back to Taulupe Faletau in 2011 who made his Test debut in a World Cup warm-up clash with England at Twickenham before establishing himself as Wales' first choice No 8 within a matter of months.
With the age profile of Gatland's squad a cause for concern the New Zealander needs an infusion of new blood to give his Wales side a boost ahead of the Six Nations and next autumn's Rugby World Cup in France.
Steffan Thomas runs the rule over six uncapped players who could force their way into Warren Gatland's World Cup thinking over the coming months.
Mason Grady (Centre)
Cardiff centre Grady has long been talked about in elite Welsh rugby circles as a serious international star of the future. The 20-year-old has only played 17 games of senior rugby to date but is exactly the profile of player Gatland will want to push through in midfield.
Cast your minds back to Gatland's first tenure as Wales head coach and for many years his game-plan was dependent on Jamie Roberts playing the role of a crash-ball centre to put his side onto the front foot. At 6ft 5in and weighing in at 17st 4lb the Cardiff man would have been deployed in the forwards if he had been born some 20 years earlier, and is someone who Gatland will have his eye on. With George North very likely to continue in the number 13 jersey the key question is whether the New Zealander will stick with Saracens star Nick Tompkins at inside centre. Tompkins was one of the better players during the ill-fated Wayne Pivac era but it wouldn't be a surprise if Gatland looked elsewhere.
Grady is still a work in progress with his decision making under pressure an area which needs to improve but he has the power, the explosiveness and the physical attributes to make it as an international midfielder. Expect to see him eased into the mix over the coming months.
Max Llewellyn (Centre)
Similar to Grady, Cardiff centre Max Llewellyn is the type of centre who is likely to grab Gatland's attention. The big difference between Llewellyn and Grady is the former has more miles on the clock having established himself as Cardiff's first choice. Llewellyn is 6ft 5in, while he weighs 16st 7lb, and has been consistently putting his club on the front foot this season. But he is far more than just a crash ball merchant with the son of former Wales lock Gareth Llewellyn possessing a nice passing game while his decision making under pressure is very good.
The 23-year-old will cross the Severn Bridge to join Gloucester at the end of the season, and given he is English qualified, having been born in Kingston-upon-Thames, Gatland may want to move quickly to cap him. Wales have options in midfield with the likes of Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, Uilisi Halaholo, and Johnny Williams among others in the frame but if the Kiwi was to pick on regional form then Llewellyn would be in his Six Nations squad.
Rhys Davies (Second-row)
It's a mystery to many how the Ospreys lock was never capped in the Pivac era. He has been consistently solid at regional level for the past two seasons, and has arguably been in better form than some players who have been selected ahead of him. One avid Welsh rugby fan tweeted on the weekend "he's the hard nasty b*****d Wales are crying out for in the boiler house."
This tweet was in response to the 24-year-old's eye-catching performance in the Ospreys' famous victory over Top 14 champions Montpellier in France on Saturday night. Davies is an absolute nuisance to play against and has a knack of getting under the opposition's skin. At 6ft 6in and 18st 3lbs Davies' isn't small, and is very good in the tight. He's a strong carrier with a high work rate while his work at disrupting the opposition's driving lineout is also something he prides himself on. His defensive game is his point of difference with the former Bath man one of only three players in the United Rugby Championship along with Leinster's James Ryan, and Dragons centre Jack Dixon, who hasn't missed a tackle this season. Wales need to get nastier up front and Davies can help them achieve this.
Dane Blacker (Scrum-half)
Scarlets scrum-half Blacker was involved in Pivac's autumn squad and was an unused replacement during Wales' disastrous first ever loss to Georgia. The problem Blacker has is he's yet to nail down a place in the Scarlets starting XV let alone the Wales squad but he's always impressed whenever he's taken the field. Dwayne Peel has plenty of scrum-half options in Llanelli with international pair Gareth Davies and Kieran Hardy also on the books but there are many who insist Blacker is the best number nine in West Wales.
The 24-year-old is a real livewire and plays the game at 100 miles an hour. He was outstanding during the first 40 minutes of the Scarlets' emphatic victory over the Cheetahs on Saturday playing a starring role in the West Walians racing into a 38-7 lead before getting replaced by Hardy. There is serious competition for the Wales number nine shirt with Tomos Williams in the mix while the experienced Rhys Webb is in pole position for a recall after a two-year international exile but by the same token they are in desperate need of something fresh.
Blacker offers something different with his attacking prowess hurting defences on a weekly basis but the challenge for the Ynysybwl product is proving he has the game management to control a game at Test level when it is slow and turgid and when the stakes are at their highest. One gets the sense the upcoming Christmas derbies will be big for Blacker's international ambitions. If he can get a run of games under his belt and keep performing then he'll be in contention.
Morgan Morris (Back-row)
The 24-year-old has been one of the Ospreys' most consistent performers over the past three seasons but he has succeeded in taking his form to a new level over the course of this current campaign. He was a revelation during the Swansea-based side's remarkable away victory over French champions Montpellier in the Heineken Champions Cup on Saturday. His work rate was exceptional while he put his side on the front foot with his relentless carrying, even getting himself on the scoreboard with a tremendous finish at the corner.
Yet there are many who question whether he is big enough to cut it at international level and given the impressive strength in depth Wales have in the back-row the odds are stacked against him. But behind Faletau Wales don't have any genuine No 8s with both Ross Moriarty and Josh Navidi having filled in admirably in the past despite being more at home on the blindside flank. Gatland could do worse than develop Morris as Faletau's understudy and while there will be those who question his size, he is a good enough rugby player to overcome it.
Harri O'Connor (Tight-head prop)
Gatland is spending Christmas back home in New Zealand and there's no doubt the New Zealander will be using much of the festive period pondering the areas Wales need to improve if they are to be competitive in both the Six Nations and the Rugby World Cup. One area which will be close to the top of his list is tighthead prop which has been an Achilles heel for Wales in recent seasons. Tomas Francis has been an unsung hero but behind him the cupboard is pretty bare. Yes, Dillon Lewis has improved significantly while Dragons star Leon Brown is on the verge of recovering from injury but neither are renowned for their scrummaging. Sam Wainwright, who has recently left Saracens to join the Scarlets, is also in the reckoning but perhaps the best long-term option for Wales would be to push through Harri O'Connor.
The 21-year-old actually toured with Wales to South Africa in the summer but didn't make the matchday squad for any of the three Test matches. O'Connor is highly rated by the Scarlets and has been one of the shining lights in a disappointing season for the West Walians. He is a very strong scrummager who is getting better with every game he plays while his contribution is solid around the park. Given Wales' lack of depth in the number three shirt and O'Connor's potential as a scrummager it wouldn't be that much of a surprise to see Gatland give him a go.
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