Wales head coach Steve Tandy has made several changes to his starting XV for Saturday's match against New Zealand, with the majority coming in the pack after last week's unconvincing victory over Japan.
Sources within the squad say Tandy was deeply unhappy with the manner of last week's performance and has shown some teeth in training this week. Certain players are now paying the price.
Pack changes after Japan struggle
Wales came through their encounter with Japan despite having just 38% possession and 40% territory. They were forced to make 227 tackles, almost twice as many as their opponents, who made 115.
They got away with it against Japan, but if those statistics are repeated against the All Blacks on Saturday, Wales will be slaughtered.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is the inclusion of veteran lock Adam Beard in place of Ben Carter. Beard was once an automatic selection in the starting XV but lost his place following a poor performance against France last season, with Carter impressing in his absence.
Carter is also responsible for calling the lineout and, while he cannot shoulder all the blame, a success rate of just 69% against Japan was simply not good enough at this level.
Experience and set-piece strength
Beard, who has 68 caps, brings enormous experience and is an outstanding set-piece operator. It is clear that Tandy sees those qualities as particularly important for the challenge ahead.
With Tomas Francis ruled out through injury, Wales are also without their strongest scrummaging tighthead. Archie Griffin and Dillon Lewis do not offer quite the same power in the set-piece as the Sale Sharks man, although both bring considerably more around the field. Beard's inclusion may therefore be partly designed to compensate for that loss of scrummaging strength.
But there are questions about what he offers elsewhere. Alongside Dafydd Jenkins, Wales will have two reliable, workmanlike locks who can deliver at the set-piece, but the pairing lacks the carrying threat needed to make a real impact around the field.
Backrow boost and backline calls
The All Blacks have powerful, athletic forwards with the explosive speed to make significant metres after contact. They are also comfortable handling the ball and causing problems in the wider channels. Wales simply do not have the same level of athleticism or ball-playing ability among their forwards, and that is a significant concern heading into Saturday.
But the Wales backrow is an exciting one, even in the absence of the influential Aaron Wainwright who is injured. Taine Basham has been nothing short of outstanding for Cardiff over the past year. He is a powerful, dynamic carrier who can bring a physical edge to Wales' back row and give them a point of difference in attack.
When playing for Cardiff he regularly featured among the leading performers for tackles, carries and turnovers. His discipline, too, has improved considerably. Perhaps most importantly, Basham remains a player capable of producing something out of nothing.
He has a natural instinct for the big moment, bringing an attacking threat and unpredictability that can change the course of a game. That ability to inject pace and power into an attack, break tackles and shift momentum is precisely what Wales have been missing.
Test rugby is a huge step up but if he can replicate his Cardiff form on the international stage then it is an exciting prospect. Tandy has also brought in James Botham on the blindside flank who offers a more physical presence both in defence and at the breakdown than Alex Mann.
Tandy has prioritised cohesion behind the scrum, resisting calls in some quarters for Dan Edwards to replace Sam Costelow at outside-half. It is the right call for this particular game, with Edwards more than capable of making an impact from the bench.
But the most eye-catching selection is Gabriel Hamer-Webb ahead of Josh Adams. Adams did not have a bad game against Japan, scoring two tries, but if he is to feature at next year's Rugby World Cup, both Cardiff and Wales will need to carefully manage his workload.
Hamer-Webb, meanwhile, is an exciting prospect. The Leicester Tigers wing is a powerful, explosive runner with genuine top-end pace and an impressive finishing ability. The 26-year-old has also demonstrated his strength under the high ball and defensive reliability at club level. The question now is whether he can translate those qualities to the international stage against opposition of the All Blacks' calibre.
