Warren Gatland is no stranger to selection controversy. After all, this is the man who dropped the legendary Brian O'Driscoll from the Lions' series decider with the Wallabies a decade ago, sparking outrage.
The New Zealander's decision to parachute former England international Henry Thomas into Wales' World Cup training squad isn't quite O'Driscoll level, but it has left most Welsh fans astounded.
Many supporters are against the selection of Thomas, who won the last of his seven England caps against New Zealand at Eden Park in 2014.
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The Montpellier tighthead qualifies for Wales courtesy of his father and is able to switch his allegiance from England thanks to a recent law change from World Rugby. That states a player can play for another country after a three-year stand-down period provided they were born in the country they want to represent or have a parent or grandparent born there.
This hasn't stopped the traditionalists taking to social media to question the very integrity of Thomas' selection given he has already been capped by England and has never played his rugby in Wales.
Sport is about opinion, of course, and I beg to differ.
This is a professional sport and it's my belief Gatland is absolutely right to do everything within the eligibility laws to give Wales the best possible chance of success in this autumn's World Cup.
There is no doubt in my mind tighthead prop is the weakest position in Wales by a country mile. If Tomas Francis and Dillon Lewis fall foul to injury then Wales are in major trouble.
Personally, I don't agree with the criticism Gatland has received for selecting a guy who plays on a regular basis for French giants Montpellier, performing a pivotal role in their Top 14 title-winning season.
Wales' set-piece has been suspect for a number of years but here is a forward who holds his own in arguably the toughest scrummaging league in the world.
Before that he was a standout performer in the Gallagher Premiership for Sale Sharks and Bath. The fact of the matter is Thomas is currently better than the majority of tighthead props in Wales, and on paper should strengthen the national squad.
Moreover, let's not forget Gatland and the Welsh Rugby Union's Exiles programme have a good track record of plucking players with clear potential out of obscurity and giving them the platform to develop into top international class stars for Wales.
Back in 2015 hardly anyone this side of the Severn Bridge had heard of Tomas Francis but Gatland saw real potential in the Exeter prop who went on to become a vital cog in the Wales side which won a Grand Slam in 2019 and went on to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
Thomas, of course, has not been plucked out of obscurity; this is a very experienced campaigner who has already proved himself at a very high level. But it's certainly an unexpected call.
As it was when former Wales boss Wayne Pivac selected the-then Wasps lock Will Rowlands and Saracens centre Nick Tompkins in his squad, also receiving flak for doing so.
Swathes of supporters bemoaned why Pivac had turned to two players who had not been deemed good enough to wear the Red Rose at senior level.
But as Gatland often says, selection is a matter of opinion, while England also have significantly more players to choose from.
Rowlands especially has been a resounding success in the red jersey, named Wales player of the year last season, while his recovery from injury in time for the World Cup could be the difference in Gatland's side avoiding a pool stage exit.
If one types the words Henry Thomas into the Twitter search engine what you'll find is a whole host of social media posts questioning how a former England international has been selected, yet at the same time Joe Hawkins, who already has five Wales caps to his name, has been deemed ineligible by the Professional Rugby Board owing to his move to Exeter Chiefs.
That is a perfectly fair question in isolation, but these are two separate issues, and the fact of the matter is Gatland can only work within the parameters allowed by the PRB.
Personally, I find it staggering that in the 21st century there are those who can't seem to get their heads around the idea of dual nationality. Thomas may have been born and raised in England but his father is Welsh, so why can't he consider himself a mixture of both?
During his time at Sale and Bath, Thomas had a reputation as a strong scrummager who also had a more than adequate carrying game which, as Gatland alluded to yesterday, his side lacked throughout a disappointing Six Nations campaign.
Thomas may have only won seven England caps but it's very likely he would have won more if it wasn't for a number of injuries which curtailed his progress.
Doubtless if Thomas starts for Wales in a World Cup quarter-final, dominates the scrum and helps his adopted country beat England, the very same people criticising his selection will suddenly get struck down with a bout of amnesia and start applauding Gatland for making this bold selection in the first place.
From a rugby performance perspective, this has to be seen as a very good call, I feel. It definitely strengthens Wales' World Cup hand.
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