A little out there, but:
01 Rob Evans. Really developed his game last season, adding some great passing and touches in the loose to his already powerful carrying and scrummaging game. Personally I would have selected him ahead of Marler for the Lions due to his superior all round game, but injury in the Pro12 final meant it didn't really matter in the end.
02 Ryan Elias. I've been seriously impressed with this young hooker. He's a physical lad, who carries the ball effectively. His basics are solid, hitting his jumpers well in the lineout and offering grunt in the scrum. There's a lot of good competition in Wales at hooker, but I think Elias has the potential to be a world class players, I've never felt the same way about Owens/Baldwin/Dacey/Dee/Parry.
03 Samson Lee. He's simply a better player that Francis, who I really don't rate. Lee really struggled to overcome that bad injury v Ireland, but was showing signs of returning to his best at the tail end of last season, looking dominant at scrum time again and offering himself in the loose. Still needs to work on his game in the loose, but unless a player comes from nowhere, Lee should be backed as our first choice.
04 TBA. Answers on a postcard please! Honestly, hopefully one of Beard, Thorton or Seb Davies come through quickly. Charteris is approaching the end of his career, and consistency has always been an issue anyway. Bradley Davies isn't half the player he once was + he lacks the mobility required nowadays. Ball is probably the front-runner, but in comparison of the options England have, he comes up short on the athleticism front.
05 Alun-Wyn Jones. Worryingly, it looks like the end of the great AWJ's career might not be far off! I'd expect him to continue till the WC at the earliest, but at times that didn't look a certainty on the Lions tour. Still a heartbeat of this Welsh side, and with little competition a certainty to start atm.
06 Ross Moriarty. Could offer some real balance alongside Tips and Faletau with his physicality coming to the fore. It's tempting to go the dual openside route as there'd always be another openside to slot in when injuries occur. Warbs/Griffiths/Young/Navidi/Boyde at blindside, Tips/Davies/Jenkins on the openside....
07 Justin Tipuric. IMO a certain starter, and probably the best Welsh player over the last 5 years. Supremely talented yet does his basics incredibly well.
08 Talulupe Faletau. Another certain starter. He's a better player that what he showed with the Lions, even if he was still pretty decent out in NZ. We need to start more of him on the front foot, and not mopping up poor ball at the back of scrums.
09 Rhys Webb. Needs to add consistency, especially with his box kicking, but he's certainly one of the most dangerous 9's in world rugby.
10 Sam Davies. His poor form at the tail end of last season is a small worry, but prior to that he was looking very, very classy indeed. Has a lovely mix to his game, with accurate kicking, lovely passing, and a developing running game. Seems to be capable of making his tackles too.
11 George North / Keelan Giles. I'd never bet against George North, but his downward spiral is worrying. On his day, he's such a great blend of pace, power and agility, but he struggles to get involved in games, and I still worry what impact his concussions have had. We could have a special player on our hands in Giles. I'd back his pace and stepping ability v's just about every other player out there, and he doesn't shirt his defensive responsibilities. Needs a chance to show what he can do.
12 Rhys Patchell. Really struggled here. I went round in circles with Patchell, Beck, and Scott Williams, but in the end plumped with Patchell for his superior all round game, in particular his siege gun boot, an area both Beck and Williams really lack. Patchell also has a great passing game, the pace of a winger, and stands at a healthy 6'2", although a little light maybe at 14 1/2 stone. Owen Watkin could be another option, but we'll need to wait and see how he returns from a year out of the game first.
13 Jon Davies. I've still got slight reservations over his passing game, but the rest of his game is just too damned good! His confidence should be sky-high after the Lions.
14 Steff Evans. At this moment in time, his all round game is a little more developed than Giles, playing with a little more vision and involving himself more in the build-up to try's. Hallam Amos is another strong candidate, but maybe lacks a touch of pace and stepping ability in comparison to Evans.
15 Liam Williams. I'd expect Liam Williams to now be Wales' first choice fullback after the Lions tour, but I won't rule Halfpenny out just yet. In hindsight, Halfpenny may have been the better choice in the 2nd and 3rd Lions tests, where they lacked a real solid presence to mop up high balls. I'd certainly like to see Williams there though, forming a potent counter-attacking back three with North/Giles/Evans.
16 Ken Owens. Good all round game should see him continue to be in the mix.
17 Nicky Smith. If he can sort his scrummaging out, he offers a hell of a lot in the loose.
18 Dillon Lewis. This is more in hope than anything. He was showing signs of the sort of scrummaging and mobility to really flourish. I'm praying he stays injury free and get's a run of games for the Blues at the very least.
19 Aaron Shingler. Brings real athleticism, pace and handling ability + a great lineout game. IMO he should be seen as a perfect bench option to cover blindside and lock.
20 James Davies. The impact he makes for the Scarlets is unreal at times. He secures so many turnovers and is involved in so many try's that he fully deserves a shot for Wales. There's question marks over his temperament, but still, he's a special player alright.
21 Gareth Davies. When he's on song, his searing pace really causes havoc. I do worry about his vision though, and he has dropped the last pass with the try-line at his mercy a few too many times for my liking. For now, he's still 2nd in line, but the likes of Tomos Williams are hot on his heels.
22 Scott Williams. A great bench option, covering both center positions, and has filled in on the wing before.
23 Keelan Giles / George North. Either would offer considerable impact off the bench. Could be dangerous not to have 10 or 15 cover on the bench as injury would result in reshuffling of the backline with Patchell likely covering both from 12! Anscombe could offer the versatile option to cover 10/15.
Gats/Howley will likely stick with a lineup like this though (not terrible by any means, but lacking some of the pace and attacking ability that many of the youngsters offer):
01 Rob Evans
02 Ken Owens
03 Tomas Francis
04 Jake Ball
05 Alun-Wyn Jones
06 Ross Moriarty
07 Sam Warburton
08 Tulupe Faletau
09 Rhys Webb
10 Dan Biggar
11 George North
12 Scott Williams
13 Jon Davies
14 Alex Cuthbert / Lee Halfpenny
15 Liam Williams
16 Kristian Dacey
17 Gethin Jenkins
18 Samson Lee
19 Luke Charteris
20 Justin Tipuric
21 Gareth Davies
22 Sam Davies
23 Lee Halfpenny / Alex Cuthbert
