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Ben James

The most likely Wales Six Nations squad Warren Gatland will pick amid huge calls

Warren Gatland has much thinking to do as he returns to Wales after spending Christmas back home in New Zealand.

A hectic year is ahead. The Six Nations starts in a month - with a Welsh coaching ticket and other logistics to nail down before the start of the tournament.

Then there's the small matter of a World Cup in France later this year and all that entails. But before that, one of his first points of order will be settling on a squad for the Six Nations.

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That's no easy feat, but here's the men he could settle on in less than two weeks' time...

Back three

Josh Adams, Louis Rees-Zammit, Rio Dyer, Leigh Halfpenny, Liam Williams

This area is largely settled - with the final spots reliant on fitness and Gatland's personal choice.

Josh Adams, Liam Williams and Louis Rees-Zammit all seem nailed on, although the latter is an injury doubt. The final two places are a little bit more uncertain and could depend on how Gatland views Adams and Rees-Zammit as potential full-back options. If he wants another specialist 15 then Halfpenny is in.

A fit and firing Alex Cuthbert will certainly interest Gatland, who has previously brought the best out of him, but the Wales coach was highly complimentary about Rio Dyer during the autumn and actually said he "has to stay in the squad for the next 12 months" during his analysis on Amazon Prime Video.

Centres

Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, Keiran Williams, George North

Much has been made of Nick Tompkins and whether he's right for Gatland, but he's playing high-level rugby to a good standard and should remain part of the side. Owen Watkin was just breaking through towards the end of Gatland's first time around - with Gatland opting to bring him over Scott Williams to the 2019 World Cup - so it stands to reason he'll be involved as well.

Johnny Williams could be a contender if he gets back fit, while the Ospreys trio of Owen Williams, Joe Hawkins and Keiran Williams will be part of Gatland's thought process. Specialist inside centre Kieran Williams is in fine regional form and offers the gain-line busting option Gatland has previously desired from his 12s.

In terms of outside centre, George North at 13 was an experiment Gatland tried but never really committed to. The fact that Pivac has seemingly done that might work out well for him.

Having been called into camp to train during the autumn, Cardiff's Mason Grady is the sort of big, athletic back that Gatland likes, but it could be a little too early for him.

Half-backs

Tomos Williams, Rhys Webb, Dane Blacker, Dan Biggar, Sam Costelow, Jarrod Evans

Tomos Williams has nailed down the scrum-half position and that doesn't seem like changing soon. For so long, Scarlets duo Gareth Davies and Kieran Hardy have been competing against Williams, but that might no longer be the case.

Rhys Webb appears back in the frame after falling out of favour under Wayne Pivac, while Dane Blacker has gone well at the Scarlets and could offer something fresh to the battle.

At fly-half, the loss of Gareth Anscombe is a blow to Gatland given how much the Wales coach has mentioned him. However, Dan Biggar is more than trusted - a strong contender to be captain.

Beyond him, it'll be interesting to see where Gatland goes. Rhys Priestland has experience, but Jarrod Evans has been the better fly-half at Cardiff this year and will probably get the nod.

Then there's Sam Costelow, who has continued to impress as the Scarlets' first-choice.

Callum Sheedy could come back into the equation after falling out of favour with Wales, but the other three look more likely to get the nod.

Props

Rhys Carre, Gareth Thomas, Nicky Smith, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, WillGriff John

Cardiff loose-head Rhys Carre was the major omission for the autumn and that quickly backfired. Having been in good form before, he's only raised his game since being overlooked and he'll certainly make the squad.

Ospreys prop Gareth Thomas has made the No. 1 jersey his own in 2022, so you'd expect him to be nailed on for a squad place. The final spot could depend on the fitness of Wyn Jones.

The Scarlets man is a favourite of Gatland's, but he's not expected back until the European fixtures a little later on in January. That might be too late to make an impression, with Nicky Smith a consistent performer at regional level.

Across on the other side of the scrum, Tomas Francis was dropped after the All Blacks defeat but, again, Gatland knows him and what he offers. He'll be in.

Dillon Lewis is facing a tricky battle to be fit and might only be ready to play at the end of January - a week before the tournament kicks off. However, he'll surely be picked regardless as options beyond him are short.

Sam Wainwright struggled during the autumn, while Leon Brown is out injured. WillGriff John has gone well anchoring the Scarlets scrum recently so he might get a call-up instead.

Hookers

Ken Owens, Dewi Lake, Ryan Elias

Four into three doesn't go. Wayne Pivac's last hooker selection saw him choose Ken Owens, Dewi Lake and Ryan Elias, with Bradley Roberts called up later after Lake was ruled out injured.

The way Roberts has been going with the Dragons, he'd be hard done by to miss out. But that might just happen.

Gatland will surely stick with Owens and Elias, who were part of his last squad with Wales, while Lake is the sort of player he'd like. Perhaps, having spoken about age profiles previously, Owens could be moved on, but that doesn't seem likely.

Such a crowded cupboard also means in-form Cardiff hooker Liam Belcher might not get a look-in.

Second-row

Adam Beard, Rhys Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Daf Jenkins, Christ Tshiunza

Without the injured Will Rowlands, Gatland's second-row options are limited a little.

Adam Beard will be there, as will Alun Wyn Jones. Exeter duo Christ Tshiunza and Daf Jenkins are well-placed to make the squad as well.

The final spot could go to either Seb Davies or Ben Carter (fitness permitting), who have been involved with recent Wales squads. However, Rhys Davies has shown up well at the Ospreys this season.

Back-row

Ross Moriarty, Jac Morgan, Thomas Young, Justin Tipuric, Tommy Reffell, Taulupe Faletau

As always, back-row is a tough one to predict. Taulupe Faletau will be in there, but you won't win many plaudits for predicting that one.

So too will Justin Tipuric, although the openside competition is very strong right now. Thomas Young has been on fire this season, while Tommy Reffell and Jac Morgan showed up well on the Test stage last year.

Thankfully, Morgan can play on the blindside - in fact, he looks likely to be a starter there moving forward - so that provides some variety.

The likes of Ellis Jenkins and Taine Basham are also vying for spots, as is recent cap Josh Macleod.

But in terms of offering options on the blindside and No. 8, it could come down to a shootout between Dragons team-mate Ross Moriarty and Aaron Wainwright. Gatland is a big fan of Wainwright's, but the physicality of Moriarty will be useful as Wales seek to make lighter work of the gainline.

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