Cardiff Blues were not under direct orders from Wales boss Wayne Pivac to select Josh Adams at outside centre against Leicester Tigers this weekend.
Eyebrows were raised when the prolific try-scorer was named out of position for the region's must-win Challenge Cup match against the English side earlier today.
The selection comes during a time when Wales have significant problems in the No.13 jersey with injuries to Jonathan Davies and Owen Watkin leaving the cupboard a little bare.
Debate has raged over whether head coach Pivac will look to move one of his widemen further infield to fill the void, especially if Scott Williams, who is struggling with a hamstring problem, can't prove his fitness in time for next month's Six Nations.
The timing of the Adams' switch to midfield has led to fans accusing Pivac of instructing Blues boss John Mulvihill to select Adams in the midfield to see what he can do.
That speculation was fuelled further by the fact that Adams played outside centre for a period of Pivac's first Wales game in charge, against the Barbarians last year.
But WalesOnline understands that no such instructions have been passed down and, instead, the Blues had planned to take this opportunity to rotate their squad after a heavy festive workload.
Why Adams has been selected as the man to move out of position, however, is still a little unclear.
Pivac and regional coaches do converse over the development of putting players in different positions - Mulvihill has revealed in the past that playing Owen Lane in the centre in the future has been discussed, for example.
However, it's understood the Blues were not explicitly told to give Adams a run in the position this weekend.
