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Steffan Thomas

The bolters who could just have forced their way into Warren Gatland's Wales World Cup plans

With Warren Gatland set to name his extended Wales World Cup training squad in the near future, Judgement Day provided the final opportunity for many players to throw their names into the hat.

The day saw Cardiff secure the Welsh Shield and Champions Cup qualification with a 38-21 victory over the Ospreys while the Dragons beat the Scarlets 31-14.

Gatland will already have the bulk of his squad pencilled in but there are a handful of spots up for grabs still and the New Zealander will undoubtedly have a few bolters up his sleeve.

READ MORE: Sunday rugby news as Wales star misses huge Euro semi-final after being sent off and axed ace sends World Cup message to Gatland

These are some of the players who may well just have forced Gatland's hand.

Taine Basham

Basham was a regular under Wayne Pivac but missed out on a place in Gatland's Six Nations squad. He did his chances no harm at Judgement Day, putting in a man of the match performance as the Dragons overcame an in-form Scarlets side.

The 23-year-old was outstanding with his explosive ball carrying and relentless physicality in defence thwarting the Scarlets' attack. He was also a menace at the breakdown winning a couple of key turnovers.

With Josh Navidi announcing his retirement, Wales are in need of a player who can slot into all three back-row positions.

Basham certainly fits the bill but he faces a lot of competition.

Thomas Young

It has been a very difficult couple of days for the Cardiff openside. But such is the professionalism of the 30-year-old he responded with a sensational performance to help Cardiff secure a place in next season's Champions Cup.

Young is a tremendous athlete scoring a try from 45 metres while also breaking clear in the first-half before executing a deft kick up-field for Mason Grady's try.

The former Wasps man gets through a huge amount of unseen work at the breakdown, and is equally as effective in an arm wrestle as he is in a tight game.

The back-row is undoubtedly Wales' strongest position but Young is too good to ignore.

Elliot Dee

The forgotten man of Welsh rugby. It has been nearly two years since the Dragons hooker played for Wales with a number of injuries, and the form of others, pushing him down the pecking order.

But at his best the 41 times capped Wales star is a major proposition with his set-piece prowess, and his carrying game a real plus point.

There is a lot of competition for the red number two jersey with Wales captain Ken Owens, Dewi Lake, Ryan Elias, Sam Parry, and his Dragons teammate Bradley Roberts in the frame.

Dee is probably behind a few of those in the pecking order but he certainly did his chances no harm with a fine performance.

Rhodri Williams

Former Scarlets and Bristol number nine Williams has been around for a long time and is one of the most consistent players on the regional scene.

But despite being Mr Dependable he has not been able to add to the three Wales caps he won back in 2013. Williams played well against the Scarlets scoring an early try, while his box kicking was on point, and his game management was a big plus point.

Wales have a number of options at scrum-half but nobody has been able to nail down a place. Williams' selection in Gatland's training squad is a long shot given Rhys Webb, Tomos Williams Kieran Hardy, and Gareth Davies are in contention but if selected he wouldn't let anybody down.

Josh Macleod

There wasn't much to shout about from a Scarlets perspective, with their focus perhaps already on next Saturday's enormous Challenge Cup semi-final against Glasgow.

It was a poor team performance but club captain Macleod was a shining light. The 26-year-old won three penalties at the breakdown, and was one of the only Scarlet players who was able to make any headway while he was as industrious as always in defence.

Macleod would have won more than two caps if it wasn't for injury and is more than capable of holding his own on the international stages.

What goes in his favour is the fact he can cover the whole back-row but he is in competition with the likes of Thomas Young, Taine Basham, and James Botham for a spot.

It would be no surprise if he made the training squad.

Max Llewellyn

The 6ft 5in, 105kg centre certainly has the size and power to make an impression on the international circuit.

He was instrumental in Cardiff's victory over the Ospreys with his explosive carrying, subtle offloading game, and smart defensive reads standing out

Unfortunately for Cardiff the 24-year-old has decided to cross the Severn Bridge to join Gloucester at the end of the season.

Historically, Gatland has always favoured size in midfield, and Llewellyn has plenty of that. There is some depth in midfield but Llewellyn fits the profile of player Gatland likes.

The smart money is on Gatland naming Llewellyn in his extended squad for summer training camps in Switzerland and Turkey to run the rule over him.

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