With Warren Gatland’s Wales squad now confirmed, there are plenty of players who can count themselves as unfortunate that they did not make the squad for the four summer internationals against South Africa, Australia, and Queensland Reds.

The summer after a World Cup year is often the ideal time to blood a few new names who have the talent to potentially thrive at international level.

However, Gatland appears to have already made these squad changes in the 12 months previous. Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan, and Dafydd Jenkins were all given consistent runs in the team for the first time under Gatland and now form the leadership group for the team.

On top of this, the likes of Cam Winnett, Sam Costelow, Mackenzie Martin, and Corey Domachowski, among others are all now regulars of this new-look Wales team, following the retirements of Justin Tipuric, Alun Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, and Dan Biggar.

Whether these players are the right ones to build around is a question that has frustrated many a Welsh rugby fan over the last few months, an issue not helped by Wales’ poor 2024 Six Nations campaign, which saw them take home the wooden spoon.

Below, Sportin Wales have ranked the players that can count themselves as unlucky not to have been picked by Gatland, starting with the least down to the most:

9. Morgan Morris

With maybe the most controversial placing on the list first, we have Morgan Morris. The Ospreys man can creditably claim to be the best player in Welsh regional rugby this season, playing in by far the most successful team.

However, Gatland’s comments about Morris needing to work on his off-the-ball game is valid – despite the number eight being an excellent attacking option. The other, more unspoken, element to this selection is who Wales would leave out of the squad to accommodate Morris. Aaron Wainwright and Taulupe Faletau have been Wales’ long term options at number eight and, even without Faletau due to injury, Wales are well stocked with options in the form of Mackenzie Martin and Taine Plumtree.

While not as alluring as Morris, Martin and Plumtree are significantly bigger physical options for Gatland, a coach who has always stressed the need to ‘dominate the collision area’.

8. Rhys Henry

Wales have picked five tighthead props with Gatland making the point of adding that the position is a “real concern, in terms of experience and players starting regularly.” With that in mind, Rhys Henry can count himself somewhat unlucky not to make Warren Gatland’s squad.

The Ospreys prop has had a breakthrough season at the Swansea.com Stadium, but is firmly second choice behind South African tighthead Tom Botha. What Henry does have on his side is the ability to play in both prop positions at a high level and is certainly more experienced than Harri O’Connor and Archie Griffin, the two outsider calls for tighthead.

7. Cai Evans and Ioan Lloyd

Both players were picked in Wales’ Six Nations squad in the spring as fly-half options behind current incumbent Sam Costelow and are now out of the squad for different reasons. Unfortunately for Cai Evans, after a strong showing at Dragons in the first half of the season, it appears the shin injury that he picked up against Connacht in late April has ruled him out of the summer.

For Lloyd, he may have played his way out of the squad with his performances in the Six Nations and for Scarlets thereafter. After a lot of media scrutiny following his start at fly-half against England, Lloyd has start a game in the number ten shirt just twice since and Gatland stressed that he wants to see more physicality from his playmakers, hence the inclusion of Ben Thomas and Jacob Beetham.

6. Liam Belcher

Wales have once again picked four hookers and Liam Belcher is not one of them. The Cardiff Rugby captain, who picked up the club’s player of the season award on Sunday evening, has been in stellar form this season and will perhaps be a little chastened to see his understudy Evan Lloyd in the squad ahead of him.

The other hookers – Sam Parry, Elliott Dee, and Dewi Lake – in the squad are all either experienced members of the squad or included having had equally good seasons as Belcher. In any case, without the rested Ryan Elias, this summer would have been a good chance to have a look at Belcher at international level.

5. Alex Mann

While Gatland did say that Alex Mann was ‘rested’ in the same way as the aforementioned Elias, the flanker was curiously missed off the list of names included in the press release at ‘rested’ – which also included lock Will Rowlands and wing Josh Adams – and as those who had had conversations with Gatland prior to the squad.

Mann is more likely to have missed out due to the return of Taine Plumtree and Jac Morgan from injury, with the Wales head coach saying that the Cardiff man is “not the biggest.”

“He’s got skills that you look at to see if players can go to the next level,” said Gatland.

“He has the ability to scan really well in defence and attack and he communicates exceptionally well.

“But it was tough for him because he’s not the biggest and he was just battered in terms of how much effort and performance he put in. The best thing for him is to have that break, have a good pre-season in the gym and put on a bit of size.”

4. James Fender, James Ratti, and Huw Sutton

It will not come as a surprise for any clued-up Wales fans that Gatland has a selection headache at lock for the South Africa game. Due to it being played outside of the test rugby window, Wales can only call on their domestic-based talent, which rules out Rowlands, Jenkins, and Christ Tshiunza. Coupled with injuries to Teddy Williams and Adam Beard, as well as Seb Davies’ Judgement Day red card, Wales are scrambling somewhat.

Even with these mitigations, it is pretty disappointing to see the Wales camp recall Cory Hill, who is playing in the third tier of Japanese rugby, rather than call up one of the three top performing Ospreys second rows.

James Ratti was the most likely, having played the most this season and offers the flexibility of also being a lineout option in the back row. James Fender and Huw Sutton are both pretty raw but have been outstanding on occasion this campaign and are unlucky not to make the plane.

3. Johnny Williams

After Ben Thomas had been touted to play at fly-half this summer, Mason Grady appearing much more often on the wing than at centre this season, and Nick Tompkins unavailable for the first South Africa game, Wales have only one out-and-out centre in their squad: Owen Watkin.

With that in mind, Johnny Williams can count himself particularly unlucky to not make the squad. The Scarlets centre has played both inside and outside centre this season and offers a physicality only matched by Grady in the squad. While he is prone to a mistake, Williams is a brave carrier, improving defender, and would have been worthy of a place in the squad.

2. Theo Cabango and Tomi Lewis

A slightly different type of unlucky fills the second place on this list, as wingers Theo Cabango and Tomi Lewis were victims of the Cardiff City Stadium sniper at Judgement Day. Both pulled up injured after scoring tries, Lewis after a brace against Scarlets and Cabango after opening the scoring against Ospreys.

With both ending the season on strong form and Josh Adams rested, Lewis and Cabango would have been in with good shouts to make the squad if it were not for their untimely injuries. Keelan Giles and Josh Hathaway, the uncapped wingers included, may have still made the squad anyway as Gatland said that they wanted to make dual-national Hathaway a Wales player and see Giles rewarded for equally excellent form for Ospreys.

1. Reuben Morgan-Williams

With Tomos Williams out injured and the form of Gareth Davies and Kieran Hardy not at their previous best, it seemed that there would be at least one or two new faces in the scrum halves selected. As it was, Cardiff Rugby’s Ellis Bevan got the nod ahead of Morgan-Williams, with Kieran Hardy and Gareth Davies also in.

Since Tomos Williams’ injury, Morgan-Williams has been the best nine in Wales this season, having taken the starting berth after the departure of Rhys Webb to French Pro D2 club, Biarritz. The Neath-born nine has added tries to his game, but appears to have missed out due to Gatland preferring the left boot of Bevan over the form pick.

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