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Ben James

Warren Gatland's best chance may be to revisit his first big act as Wales coach in 2008

When Warren Gatland opted to pick 13 Ospreys in his first match in charge of Wales 15 years ago, he did, in fairness, have good reason to do so.

The Swansea side were at the peak of their Galaticos powers, on their way to an EDF Energy Cup triumph and stacked with talent. So Gatland understandably saw fit to lean on them more than most during that victory over England that paved the way for a Grand Slam.

There was a simplicity to it that, in many ways, summed up what Gatland's time with Wales was about. Never trying to put the cart before the horse, as we've grown accustomed to in recent years.

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However, for his second chance at a first game in charge of Wales, you'd think it was unlikely he'd plump for such a large section of players from one region. But, when you think about it, there's a decent chance that a fair chunk of the side to face Ireland on February 4 could ply their trade in Swansea.

Maybe not a baker's dozen of Toby Booth's side, but seven of the eight forwards - minus the obligatory Taulupe Faletau inclusion - could be Ospreys. In fairness, despite strong claims from the likes of Rhys Carre, Ken Owens, Bradley Roberts, Daf Jenkins and Thomas Young at this moment in time, why wouldn't you look to the Ospreys pack given it's a strength they've got down to a tee.

The victory away to French champions Montpellier was built upon the efforts of the pack, as were derby victories over Scarlets and Cardiff. The fact they nearly claimed the scalp of unbeaten Leinster again was largely down to the fact that their scrum splintered the Irish pack at will.

Even without nailed-on Wales starters Adam Beard and Jac Morgan, the starting pack of Nicky Smith, Dewi Lake, Tomas Francis, Rhys Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Ethan Roots, Justin Tipuric and Morgan Morris forced penalties out of Leinster's scrum at will. The first one of the evening set the tone - after all, few push Mike Ala'alatoa backwards. Fewer still send him skywards.

Even the replacements made an impact, with Gareth Thomas continuing where Smith left off. Under Wayne Pivac, the scrum didn't always provide the stablest platform.

The emphasis on the props was to do the bulk of the clearout work, even if some close to Wales camp have previously intimated to WalesOnline that Wales' front-five didn't necessarily have the fitness to carry out that particular facet of the game and enable the all court style Pivac wanted.

Gatland will likely forgo the desire to play fast and loose with clearout work, as Pivac often did in a bid to implement a 1-3-2-2 pod formation that stretched the field, in place of a more pragmatic, structured approach that deals with Wales' inability to win collisions regularly enough to truly threaten over multiple phases.

A more simplistic approach up front, built upon set-piece reliability, narrow pick-and-goes to negate aggressive blitzes and a smattering of big ball carriers like Lake capable of securing quick ball by winning collisions, could be the way to go.

That latter point of big carriers could factor into backline selection and where Ospreys players sit in it - particularly in midfield. The halfbacks seem unlikely to be taken by Ospreys players, with Rhys Webb surely behind Tomos Williams in the pecking order and Gareth Anscombe injured, while the back-three will probably be filled with one at most.

Josh Adams, Louis Rees-Zammit and Rio Dyer are all top wingers in form, but Alex Cuthbert provides a physicality that Gatland liked in the past and his resurgence will certainly please the coach.

However, it's the centres where Gatland could turn to the Ospreys. George North established at 13 is something that Gatland often appeared to desire, even if he never quite got around to fully implementing it. It seems likely to be something he sticks with.

Saracens' Nick Tompkins has formed a solid partnership with North through 2022, while Ospreys duo Owen Watkin and Joe Hawkins both earned starts at 12 last year. However, uncapped Keiran Williams could just be the sort of centre Gatland needs.

In recent weeks, the 25-year-old has surely played himself into the Wales squad - with a series of performances that warrant consideration.

Against Leinster, Williams provided the Ospreys with their most reliable source of go-forward. Belying his small stature, he has a knack of making yards through contact with unerring consistency.

One early carry saw him scythe through Leinster's defence before cutting past a couple of defenders without ever losing momentum. Thankfully for Leinster, the play was pulled back for a forward pass, but Williams' threat was obvious.

Later on in the game, he once again pierced the Leinster defence - showing ridiculous leg drive to help win the penalty that earned the Ospreys a losing bonus point.

On the other side of the ball, he was into everything with some key tackles. One early attempt saw him track across the field in order to save a certain try, reading the situation well.

Another one in the second-half saw him spoil a Leinster attack, swallowing up the Leinster scrum-half to allow impressive lock Davies to win a turnover.

Ironically, given North rarely starts at centre for the Ospreys and Williams has endured a tough time with injuries and illness, this pair aren't an established partnership despite both playing for the Ospreys. This wouldn't be like plumping for Gavin Henson and Sonny Parker in 2008.

But if Gatland plans on using his backline as a means of winning collisions through blunt force, as has previously been the case, he could do worse than look at Williams. Particularly as, under Pivac, it often looked like the backline lacked a focal point.

Gatland won't pick 13 Ospreys this time around as he starts again with Wales, but it's not hard to imagine that at least half of the starting side could hail from the Swansea.com Stadium.

After all, there's something simplistic about that notion. And doing the simple things well time after time is something Wales haven't tended to do since Gatland's first farewell.

Read more:

Today's rugby news as Gatland watches forgotten Wales star make stunning last-minute case and rival coaches baffled

Liam Williams injury update issued after Wales star exits Cardiff v Scarlets early as Warren Gatland watches on

Ospreys 19-24 Leinster: Welsh side fall agonisingly short in bid to topple league leaders

Cardiff 22-28 Scarlets: Dwayne Peel's men hold on for Welsh derby win in front of Warren Gatland

'Most attacking fly-half in northern hemisphere' ready for Wales recall

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