There are a handful of players who could come in and improve the Wales squad
Young Dragons pair Che Hope (left) and Ryan Woodman(Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency)
The Six Nations is just weeks away and Wales head coach Steve Tandy will already be planning for a difficult opener against England at the Allianz Stadium.
Wales endured a difficult autumn campaign which finished with a horrific 73-0 home defeat to South Africa at the Principality Stadium. Tandy is up against it whatever squad he can muster but there are a number of players who missed out on the autumn but are available for selection ahead of the Six Nations.
Here are 10 players Tandy should consider selecting ahead of a difficult few months.
Taulupe Faletau
Faletau is still in Tandy’s plans having been named in the autumn before he was forced to withdraw through injury.
The 35-year-old made his comeback off the bench in Cardiff’s home defeat to the Scarlets on Friday night but the dynamic No 8 did make an impact with his explosive ball carrying.
Wales will have to manage Faletau carefully given his recent track record with injuries but if he can stay fit he remains a high-class international player.
Jake Ball
What Wales have lacked since the 2023 Rugby World Cup is significant size and physicality in the front five and that is something Ball could help improve.
Yes, at 34 Ball is approaching the end of his career but he has been playing well since returning to the Scarlets and Wales need to add some grunt to the front five.
Ball is in very good nick for his age and would bring a lot of experience into the squad, while also pushing the more experienced players.
This selection would only be for the short term but Wales need any help they can get ahead of a daunting Six Nations campaign which starts with a trip to the Allianz Stadium to face England.
Ross Moriarty
If there was one word to describe Moriarty it would be physical.
Wales need as many big men as possible in the pack and Moriarty’s physicality would be a welcome addition against the likes of England and France.
Tandy’s side will face arguably the second strongest pack in world rugby during their Six Nations opener at the Allianz Stadium.
Moriarty is a decent carrier who hits very hard in defence and has a habit of getting under the skin of the opposition.
He rarely takes a backwards step and Wales will need men like that in the trenches against England.
Ryan Elias
Wales have lacked power in the front five and this is something Elias can bring in spades.
The 30-year-old has been harshly criticised by supporters on social media over his throwing in and this is an area he needs to improve on but the positives outweigh the negatives by far.
He has been in good form since returning from injury and has helped significantly improve the Scarlets pack.
Elias is a big man and a powerful carrier with a high work rate who more often than not wins the collisions.
He is also considered by many in the game as the strongest scrummaging hooker in Wales.
Elias and Dewi Lake are a powerful pair of hookers.
Tommy Reffell
The Leicester Tigers openside was a puzzling omission from Tandy’s autumn squad but with Jac Morgan expected to miss at least the start of the Six Nations selecting Reffell is a must.
Wales struggled to win turnovers and slow opposition ball down at the breakdown throughout the autumn and this is an area Reffell excels in.
The 26-year-old is one of the best exponents of the breakdown in the Gallagher Prem and is the type of player who gets through a tonne of unseen dirty work which allows others to thrive.
Wales need to improve at the contact area and Reffell can help them do just that.
Che Hope
Tomos Williams is head and shoulders ahead of any other Welsh number nine apart from Gareth Davies who has retired from international rugby.
The likes of Kieran Hardy and Reuben Morgan-Williams are reliable players but Tandy needs to find someone who could potentially challenge Williams for the number one spot ahead of the World Cup.
Many working within Welsh rugby have been concerned for some time at a lack of x-factor from scrum-halves in Wales.
There are many number nines who are technically sound but not enough who can turn a game on its head in the manner Gareth Davies did in the Scarlets’ victory over Cardiff on Friday night.
Young Dragons scrum-half Che Hope is someone who has potential although it remains to be seen just how high his ceiling is.
But he was outstanding in the victory over Connacht on Saturday night, scoring two tries, while his first was an opportunistic break from 45 metres out.
His control and game management is a work in progress but he is a big threat with ball in hand and game-breaking potential.
Ryan Woodman
The 21-year-old is a former Wales U20s captain and has long been tipped as an international star of the future.
Woodman has really come into his own over the past couple of months and has become a lot more prominent for the Dragons.
He carried the ball well against Connacht with one powerful carry setting the tone for one of the Dragons’ six tries.
Woodman also made 11 tackles and is an excellent lineout forward.
He is not yet the finished article but he will become a genuine option for Tandy in the near future.
Kane James
Exeter Chiefs backrower James is someone Wales would like to have in their system but the 20-year-old also qualifies for England and New Zealand, although he is originally from Haverfordwest.
James played for England at age-grade level and is a junior World Cup winner but he remains eligible to represent the land of his birth.
The powerful backrower is an explosive carrier with x-factor, while his offloading and physicality is a real point of difference.
Wales missed out on Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Kepu Tuipulotu and Tom Lockett to England but will be desperate to reverse that trend with James.
Josh Macleod
The 29-year-old missed Wales’ autumn campaign through injury but is back fit ahead of the Six Nations.
Macloed has made a big difference to the Scarlets since returning from injury and is someone who leads from the front.
The Scarlets skipper is very good at the breakdown while he is a physical player who gets through a lot of unseen work.
Macleod would be a good selection by Tandy for the Six Nations.
James Botham
The 27-year-old is another player who was unavailable this autumn due to injury.
Botham was been playing well for Cardiff and is someone who could add something different to the Wales backrow.
The Cardiff man is an abrasive backrow and a huge work horse who could add some physicality to the backrow.
He can also cover the backrow which comes in handy and will help his cause when Tandy sits down with his assistant coaches to select the squad.