Wales coach Warren Gatland says it's too late to cull some of the old guard from his team, hinting that previous coach Wayne Pivac should have acted sooner to move on some senior stars.
Gatland has named four uncapped players in his 37-man squad for the Six Nations in an attempt to balance youth and experience ahead of his second stint in the job. He had previously mentioned balancing the age-profile of the squad, with several players over the age of 30.
However, a string of high-profile casualties never seemed likely, with Gatland suggesting it was too late before this year's World Cup in France to be overlooking experienced players.
The likes of Alun Wyn Jones, Leigh Halfpenny and Ken Owens are all included, with the latter named captain. You can read about the full squad here.
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"Yeah, I did," answered Gatland when asked if he'd considered leaving out some senior players. "The thought process is that it was something that needed to be done earlier.
"I think we’re running out of time. Some of that experience needs to be in that squad to help with the youngsters who haven’t got a lot of caps to their name.
"That was the thought process there."
The returning Wales coach was also asked whether the job he is inheriting right now is tougher than the one he took on 15 years ago, when he took a Wales side that had crashed out of the pool stages of the 2007 World Cup and won a Grand Slam months later.
The financial uncertainty in the Welsh game has seen the four regional sides placed under a state of paralysis when it comes to handing out contracts, with many of Gatland's squad unsure whether there's a deal on the table for them next season.
And Gatland is aware that, despite the issues facing Welsh rugby, the expectations of the wider Welsh public are unlikely to be too forgiving.
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"Yeah, it probably is a little bit tougher. There were regional teams doing well then and we picked a lot of Ospreys which made the transition easier in terms of going to Twickenham.
"There’s a lot of expectations on the national team and the challenge for all of us is we want our regional teams to be competing and doing better in the competitions they’re in. They’re doing well in Europe, but they’re in the bottom half of the URC.
"Three of them are at the bottom of the competition. That’s a big challenge for us. We go into a Six Nations and there’s a huge amount of expectations from the Welsh public.
"We’ve fared extremely well over the last 20 years. I’m excited about it but I’m well aware there are some challenges ahead."
Read more:
The verdict on Wales' Six Nations squad and the clear plan Gatland now has
Wales Six Nations squad in full as Ken Owens named captain and four uncapped players picked
Warren Gatland announces new Wales coach at same time as Six Nations squad
Justin Tipuric's freakish ability leaves fellow players floored and quarter of a million in awe
Wayne Pivac breaks silence on Wales sacking and says he knew it was over after 'catastrophic' day
