Wales should resist making knee-jerk changes for the All Blacks, according to former captains Sam Warburton and Dan Biggar, but the lack of depth at scrum-half remains a pressing issue that needs addressing.
Saturday's victory against Japan was not the statement performance many had hoped for, and while frustration is understandable, there is a sense that reactionary takes have gone too far. After a year of steady growth, expectations had risen, but Wales are still a side sitting around 10th in the world and remain a fair distance off the top eight.
Why continuity matters against the All Blacks
Warburton and Biggar have both suggested that Steve Tandy should resist making changes, and there is merit in that opinion. Wales, under Tandy, have typically been slow starters to campaigns, and the team faced the challenge of having the majority of its players based in England, who had to return for the latter half of the first training week.
Making wholesale changes ahead of the All Blacks would mean starting from scratch, which seems counterproductive when building continuity is important. The Australia match perhaps represents a top-eight side that Wales could consider reachable, and judging the new centre pairing of Max Llewellyn and Eddie James after just 80 minutes would be rushed.
The scrum-half conundrum
While selection should come under scrutiny, the more concerning issue is the lack of depth at scrum-half. Tomos Williams played the full 80 minutes on Saturday, marking the fifth time in 13 Tests under Tandy that the replacement scrum-half has not seen any action.
Kieran Hardy, Williams' most experienced deputy and the only other man to start a Test in the nine jersey in the last 19 Test matches, is set to be sidelined for some time. It seems doubtful he will make next year's World Cup, making the need to accelerate depth behind Williams all the more pressing.
Options and the need to grow depth
Of the two other scrum-halves to wear the nine jersey in the last World Cup cycle, Gareth Davies retired from Test rugby two years ago, and Ellis Bevan does not appear to be in the picture much when it comes to the national team. There had been a clamour to bring Davies out of retirement for next year's World Cup, but he has not played international rugby for two years, and this could be his last year for the Scarlets, making a return seem far-fetched.
In the current squad, Reuben Morgan-Williams has just three caps, playing 55 minutes of Test rugby to date, while Dragons' Che Hope is uncapped. Throwing one of them in to start against the All Blacks would perhaps be reckless, but they surely need significant minutes off the bench. With the chance to grow depth while there is time, Wales risk being one injury away from heading down that well-known creek unequipped.
