Next Monday, the World Cup in France gets that little bit closer as Warren Gatland names his extended training squad.
Having had a tumultuous Six Nations campaign to settle back into Welsh rugby, next week marks the start of a busy summer campaign - with training camps in Switzerland and Turkey ahead of warm-up matches and the actual tournament in France later this year.
Quite what the squad will look like is very much up in the air right now.
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Of course, there's the subjective nature of Gatland's choices alongside his coaching team, while the size of the squad is also unknown.
Then there's the fact that the availability of certain players is still shrouded in mystery.
Starting with the amount of players he'll call up, Gatland's previous World Cup training squads have been somewhere between 42 and 47. Last time around, it was at the smaller end of that scale, but four years ago Wales were a settled side on their way to the top of the world rankings.
Given where they find themselves now, unsettled and struggling for results, you'd imagine Gatland might cast a wider net to see who impresses during the summer camps. The fact that final World Cup squads are now 33 rather than 31 might also mean Gatland opts for a couple of extra options in his training selection.
So, the higher side of 45 would be a reasonable educated guess.
Just as the actual squad size will soon become apparent, so too will the players at Gatland's disposal. Right now, there's a couple for whom their inclusion isn't exactly cut and dry.
For Will Rowlands and Joe Hawkins, the next week or so will be interesting to say the least.
Rowlands is France-bound with Racing 92, while Hawkins is off to Exeter Chiefs for next season. Both are seemingly captured by the 25-cap rule, but - as is often the case in Welsh rugby - the whole situation is mired in uncertainty.
For starters, some of the nuances of the 25-cap rule are unknown. There had been talk of a regional appearance stipulation for those who had plied their trade in Wales for a considerable time without necessarily being rewarded with Test caps.
However, right now, no such thing has been announced, bar the odd whisper of four or more seasons at a region allowing players to continue playing international rugby after moving abroad.
The likelihood is that no actual decision has been made on that particular clause, with all parties seemingly in the dark as things stand. Regardless, it's likely that neither Rowlands or Hawkins would have met the requirements anyway.
Instead, their cases likely hinge on when contracts were signed, or when new ones begin. Professional Rugby Board chief Malcolm Wall has already commented publicly on how the two cases differ, suggesting the outcomes might also be different.
Two caps short of 25, there has been the suggestion that Rowlands will be given the chance to win those caps in the warm-up matches - even if the end-date of the lock's contract with the Dragons is likely to be before those matches.
The situation with Hawkins seems less likely to have a happy ending. The 20-year-old seemingly emerged as Wales' first-choice inside centre during the Six Nations, building on his Test debut last autumn with four consecutive starts in the tournament.
But for the young centre to not be captured by Wales, he'd need to have signed a deal with Exeter before he was first called up by Wales in October. Evidence of that will have to be provided to the Welsh Rugby Union. You can read more about that here.
Without that, it seems unlikely he'll be named next week. There's enough midfield options to replace him, even if it would be deeply disappointing to lose a playmaker that Wales had invested time in during the Six Nations.
As well as the usual contenders, Keiran Williams was an uncapped member of the Six Nations squad. The summer will give Gatland ample opportunity to take a closer look at him.
Another uncapped prospect, Max Llewellyn, certainly seems up Gatland's street. The Cardiff centre is a hard-running, smart midfielder who can bash it up, but has a intellect to his game.
He's heading for Gloucester, but with the deal already signed, he's not yet captured by the 25-cap rule and Gatland might relish the chance to run the rule over him. The Scarlets' Joe Roberts has been a constant in their late-season run of form, but it's likely too soon for him.
In terms of other uncapped players, Corey Domachowski has been mightily impressive for Cardiff in recent weeks, but he might struggle to overcome the loose-head talent. In the back-three, Ryan Conbeer has enjoyed a decent season and recently had Wales' record try-scorer, Shane Williams, calling for his inclusion.
A strong end in Europe might help his cause, but competition there is also fierce. Johnny McNicholl has impressed since falling out of favour with Wales, while someone like Alex Cuthbert is reliable at Test level.
Another potential new face could be Ospreys prop Tom Botha, who is now eligible on residency grounds and has had a strong season at regional level.
Back-row remains stacked with options. It's feasible that the likes of James Botham, Taine Basham, Dan Lydiate, Josh Macleod and Ross Moriarty could all miss out.
Surely, after another season as the Ospreys' player of the season, Morgan Morris will get a look-in? Perhaps. If not, one of the names above will likely benefit.
And look out for a return for Cory Hill in the swecond row, with the reduction in the 60-cap rule making him eligible again.
Potential Wales training squad:
Props: Wyn Jones (Scarlets), Gareth Thomas (Ospreys), Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Rhys Carre (Cardiff), Tomas Francis (Ospreys), Dillon Lewis (Cardiff), Leon Brown (Dragons), Tom Botha (Ospreys)
Hookers: Ken Owens (Scarlets), Dewi Lake (Ospreys), Ryan Elias (Scarlets), Bradley Roberts (Dragons)
Locks: Adam Beard (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Cory Hill (Yokohama Canon Eagles), Will Rowlands (Dragons), Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs), Rhys Davies (Ospreys)
Back-row: Taulupe Faletau (Cardiff), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Jac Morgan (Ospreys), Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers), Aaron Wainwright (Dragons), Thomas Young (Cardiff), Christ Tshiunza (Exeter Chiefs), Morgan Morris (Ospreys)
Scrum-halves: Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Kieran Hardy (Scarlets), Tomos Williams (Cardiff), Rhys Webb (Ospreys)
Fly-halves: Gareth Anscombe (Ospreys), Dan Biggar (Toulon), Sam Costelow (Scarlets), Owen Williams (Ospreys)
Centres: Mason Grady (Cardiff), Keiran Williams (Ospreys)*, Nick Tompkins (Saracens), George North (Ospreys), Johnny Williams (Scarlets), Max Llewellyn (Cardiff/Gloucester)
Back-three: Josh Adams (Cardiff), Alex Cuthbert (Ospreys), Johnny McNicholl (Scarlets), Rio Dyer (Dragons), Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester), Liam Williams (Cardiff), Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets)
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