Warren Gatland has never selected players based solely on reputation, as Brian O'Driscoll could testify to.
The New Zealander has always known when a player is ready to make the step up to Test rugby, while on the other side of the coin he knows when a player can offer no more on the international circuit. Since Gatland returned to the helm last December following the dismissal of Wayne Pivac there has been much focus on the age profile of his squad, along with looking ahead to the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
With nine uncapped players in his World Cup training squad we run the rule over which players could make a name for themselves in France this autumn.
Joe Roberts
Less than a year ago much of the Welsh rugby public may not even have known who the 23-year-old from Llanelli was. The Scarlets star would have likely made a name for himself much sooner if it wasn't for a serious knee injury sustained in the summer of 2019.
Roberts' real breakthrough performance came at the Arms Park in early January as the young outside centre ripped the Cardiff defence to help his side to victory.
He was outstanding during the second half of last season with his power, pace and quick feet in attack cementing his place in the Scarlets' first-choice XV.
Sources within the Wales camp have told WalesOnline that Roberts has really impressed in training, while Gatland himself singled the Burry Port product out for praise on BBC's Scrum V podcast last month. Centre is a position where Gatland will have no choice but to opt for more inexperienced players, which is a contrast to the previous three World Cups where he had established midfield pairings at his disposal.
The casual onlooker tends to get excited at the flashier stuff like 50-metre breaks and length-of-the-field tries. While Roberts does possess X-factor, what sets him apart is the way he reads the game in defence.
Many players have previously claimed the 13 channel is the hardest position on the field to defend but Roberts' defensive reads are superb, while the fundamental unseen areas of his game are very strong. Last season he was the glue that held the Scarlets' defence together and it may not be long until he fulfils the same role with Wales.
Henry Thomas
The selection of the former England prop has been widely criticised by those who aren't in favour of the recent change to World Rugby's eligibility laws, which can lead to players swapping nations after a stand-down period of three years, provided they have a tangible link to that particular country.
But Gatland has got it absolutely spot on in opting to take a serious look at the 31-year-old. Tighthead prop has hardly been an area of strength for Wales in recent seasons with their set-piece struggling against the heavier packs.
Tomas Francis has been a superb servant, and while Dillon Lewis may add a lot around the park, a dominant scrummager he is not. The lack of depth at tighthead is a concern, so selecting a guy who has played Test rugby for England, dominated scrums in the Gallagher Premiership for Sale Sharks and Bath along with holding his own for Montpellier in the Top 14 sounds like common sense to me.
Thomas is probably the strongest scrummager in the squad, while he is also a powerful carrier in the tight. There is more than a decent chance he will wear the number three jersey when Wales kick-off their World Cup campaign against Fiji in Bordeaux on September 10.
Kemsley Mathias
The Haverfordwest product has had a real breakthrough season for the Scarlets, forcing his way in front of experienced British & Irish Lions star Wyn Jones to cement his place as his club's first-choice loosehead.
At 185cm and 121kg Mathias certainly has the physical attributes to make the step up to Test rugby and part of the reason Gatland has opted to give the 23-year-old an opportunity is his mobility and explosiveness around the park. The New Zealander believes the game has moved away from a raft of scrums, with props simply needing to be able to offer more than just set-piece prowess.
Mathias is a solid scrummager, yet not as destructive as someone like his Scarlets team-mate Jones or Ospreys star Nicky Smith, but his real point of difference is his carrying game while he puts a lot of tackles in for a front-rower. The former Wales U20s international is adept at making headway in the tight while he is also explosive in the wide channels.
To put it simply he fits the profile of prop Gatland is looking for, it's just a case of whether Mathias is capable of making the significant step up to Test rugby. With Rhys Carre having been released from the squad one would expect Ospreys pair Smith and Gareth Thomas to be nailed-on tourists.
That means it is likely to be a straight shootout between uncapped pair Mathias and Corey Domachowski. Cardiff man Domachowski has been performing consistently well at regional level for a number of years but could the fact Mathias can also play tighthead in an emergency give him an edge?
Max Llewellyn
Gloucester-bound centre Llewellyn is a player who ticks all the boxes of what Gatland has traditionally looked for in a centre. At 6ft 5ins and 16 stone he has the ability to get Wales over the gain-line, which is what Gatland will be looking for.
If it wasn't for an ill-timed injury Llewellyn may even have been involved in Wales' Six Nations squad but good things come to those who wait, and the 24-year-old has a golden opportunity to impress the Welsh management in Fiesch over the next couple of weeks.
Llewellyn is strong defensively, has good distribution skills while he is also explosive going forward. He is also a very intelligent footballer who has a habit of making the right decisions at the right times. In a recent European Challenge Cup knockout fixture against Sale Sharks Llewellyn got the better of England powerhouse Manu Tuilagi, proving to anyone who was in doubt the former Glantaf pupil is capable of making the step up to Test rugby.
As has been previously mentioned the centre positions in the squad are there for the taking given the lack of experience in this area, meaning if Llewellyn impresses in the training camps and then the warm-up Tests he stands a very good chance of forcing his way into Gatland's final 33-man squad.
Taine Plumtree
The fact Gatland pulled new Scarlets signing Taine Plumtree into the squad before he had even played a game of rugby in Wales caused quite a stir over the past week. Many onlookers believe there are players in Wales more deserving of a place in the squad but as far as this writer is concerned it's a professional sport, and if Gatland believes Plumtree is the better player then so be it.
For years Gatland has wanted a player with the right mix of athleticism and power who can cover the back-five of the scrum at the highest level. Not since Jonathan Thomas has he had one who has really convinced in the upper echelons of Test-level rugby.
He has Christ Tshiunza in the squad but the jury is still out on the Exeter Chiefs man. "He’s (Plumtree) a six foot five back-row forward, we don’t have a lot of those here in Wales," said Gatland this week. "He’s 23, whether he makes the World Cup squad or not he’s definitely a player we want to keep in mind for the future.
"Potentially that’s later down the track with the Six Nations, but he gets a chance to come in and we just know how excited he is to get the opportunity to come in and take that chance with us out in Switzerland."
Former Wellington and Blues man Plumtree is an athletic player who is a top-class lineout forward with a strong all-round skillset. The fact he can cover lock and the back-row is a big plus point, and if he impresses in the training camps then, given his versatility, it really isn't out of the question he earns a ticket to France.
