Wales boss Wayne Pivac has explained the bombshell decision to drop flying wing Louis Rees-Zammit and insisted, 'We think it's the right call'.
The 21-year-old try ace will not be involved in this weekend's Six Nations clash against England and will instead likely feature for Gloucester against Leicester.
Instead, Pivac has plumped for Alex Cuthbert, who has been resurgent in recent months, and the returning Josh Adams.
The Wales head coach admitted it was a difficult decision to make but pointed to the work-rate off the ball of the other two as a deciding factor.
"It was a tough call for Louis to take, obviously," said Pivac.
"Everybody wants to be selected and are working pretty hard. For us, with this particular match, looking at the opposition and the way we think the game will be played, I think the experience of the other two, work-rate off the ball and those sorts of things, are really going to come into play.
"It's a tough call on Louis but one that we think is the right call. He's no different to any other player. He's disappointed, obviously.
"He'll be frustrated but I think if you look back to the first Six Nations, he didn't get any game time, he went away, listened to what the coaches had passed on, worked hard and then had a very successful Six Nations last year.
"We expect him to go and work hard on his game and come back stronger than he is."
Rees-Zammit has had a quiet campaign so far by his lofty standards and was criticised for his defence when Scotland's Darcy Graham breezed beyond him to score two weeks ago.
He sustained an ankle knock in the warm-up ahead of the opener against Ireland, with England boss Eddie Jones reckoning there are issues over the Welshman's fitness.
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“They have left out Zammit out because I don’t think he’s fit," claimed Jones.
“I don’t think he’s healthy.
“If you are a racehorse owner, you wouldn’t be putting him out on the track. You would have him in the stables for a while.”
But Pivac denied that fitness was the concern over Rees-Zammit.
"Has Eddie got his spies in our training sessions, maybe?" laughed the Wales coach.
"He did pick up an ankle injury in the warm-up before the Ireland game. That probably hasn't been at 100 and that's factored in.
"But we've gone with experience, we've gone with a bit of extra work-rate across the field without the ball as well as with the ball.
"Louis is disappointed, he'll go away, work hard at his game and be back, I'm sure."
Pivac has shown in the past that he is not afraid to make big selection calls like this.
In the first two years of his reign, he has dropped George North, Adam Beard and Owen Watkin at various points but all three players have produced huge reactions and turned their fortunes around.
Pivac will be hoping for a similar response from Rees-Zammit but will have to be mindful of the fact that he is far more inexperienced and younger than the aforementioned trio.
"You're right and they're very good examples for any young player to see," said Pivac.
"It's not just those players, we've had a lot of senior players out with severe injuries, that have worked hard, battled against the odds and come back.
"It's a challenge for any player. It's how you react to these situations.
"Louis, after being disappointed, is in a good environment with a very good club coach, who we've had a good conversation with.
"He will pass on the words and encouragement that are required. I'm sure Louis will come back bigger, better and stronger."
The flying winger will return to his club this week with the encouraging words of Wales skipper Dan Biggar in the back of his mind.
And the fly-half has predicted a huge response this weekend.
Commenting on the situation, Biggar said: "It's never easy when selection doesn't quite go your way for one reason or another.
"But the only people I can think of is someone like a Dan Carter or a Jonny Wilkinson, who have never had to go through it.
"Every one of us in the team and management here have gone through it in our careers. Very rarely do you never get dropped or not selected.
"He's young, he's burst onto the scene, is an incredible talent and is a real poster boy for Wales.
"But, for him, I'd say: 'You're a young guy, you've got tonnes of time to bounce back'."
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