What Wales' World Cup squad now looks like after what we've seen so far

Warren Gatland was at pains to stress the hot competition in his squad after Wales defeated England 20-9 in their opening World Cup warm-up clash in Cardiff.

The message was simple from the head coach: there’s still all to play for in the battle for places.

Nonetheless, some players undoubtedly edged closer to the plane for France with their efforts on Saturday – Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright should already have the suitcases packed and French phrasebooks at the ready – while one or two slipped back.

There is still time for those in reverse to correct the situation, but not much time.

MARK ORDERS takes a look at how the World Cup squad is now looking.

ON THE PLANE (17)

Louis Rees-Zammit, George North, Josh Adams, Dan Biggar, Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams, Gareth Davies, Kieran Hardy, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake, Elliot Dee, Will Rowlands, Adam Beard, Tommy Reffell, Jac Morgan, Aaron Wainwright.

Of the 23 who faced England, Louis Rees-Zammit, George North, Dan Biggar, Tomos Williams, Gareth Davies, Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee, Will Rowlands, Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright all did their causes no harm and all looked nailed on to be part of Gatland’s final group.

There is serious competition in the back three, with Gatland potentially taking just four specialists if he opts for 19 forwards and 14 backs. George North and Mason Grady are versatile enough to provide insurance if they are taken as centres, with North, who organised Wales’ defence behind the scrum impressively against England, set to be one of the first names inked in.

Biggar and Gareth Anscombe, who could also provide cover at full-back, have too much experience and class not to travel, with the same applying to Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies, while it would be too risky to take just the two No. 9s, so Kieran Hardy is tipped for a spot, as well.

Up front, Nicky Smith made a mark off the bench and Gareth Thomas will likely join him on the plane, with Dewi Lake and Elliot Dee also looking good bets, along with locks Will Rowlands and Adam Beard.

Further back, questions would be asked in the Senedd if Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright missed out after their efforts in the first warm-up, with turnover ace Tommy Reffell odds-on to make the cut as well.

WILL TRAVEL IF FIT (3)

Dafydd Jenkins, Ryan Elias, Taulupe Faletau.

Wales will anxiously be awaiting further updates on the injury Jenkins picked up against England. The 20-year-old confirmed his promise with an unyielding effort that saw him make 15 tackles without a single miss before leaving proceedings early after sustaining a knee bump. Gatland called Wales’ starting locks “great” in his post-match press conference, so he’ll be keeping fingers crossed on the youngster.

Much the same goes for Elias and, of course, Faletau.

Elias is seen as packing scrummaging power at hooker while Faletau has been nursing a calf-muscle complaint. Aaron Wainwright’s startling performance against England would have cheered the coaches, but they’ll still be desperate for the main man to confirm his fitness.

IN DEPARTURES (7)

Liam Williams, Leigh Halfpenny, Mason Grady, Henry Thomas, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, Dan Lydiate.

Liam Williams will likely make the cut if he comes through the rest of the summer programme unscathed. There may be questions over his durability given all the injuries he has suffered over the years, but when he is fit and on his game he’s an asset to any team.

Halfpenny didn’t put a foot wrong against England, saving a try and reading the game intelligently. It would be a big call not to take a player of his class, experience and professionalism, but it’s not a done deal for him yet as the battle for back-three places is a major one.

After making an impact off the bench on Saturday, Grady should start to make sure his passport is up to date, with his ability to cover wing and centre a significant plus, while Henry Thomas, Francis and Lewis look frontrunners to fill the three tighthead spots and Dan Lydiate’s experience could prove invaluable in the back row.

RIGHT DIRECTION (4).

Max Llewellyn, Sam Costelow, Ben Carter, Taine Plumtree.

Llewellyn didn’t have many opportunities to show his attacking skills on debut, but the 6ft 5in, 16st 7lb centre has a nice passing game and the ability to offload and is blessed with the priceless ability to pick good lines. With North nursing him through his first Test, he showed enough in defence to encourage the belief that he can cut it at the highest level.

Costelow was a bit of a mixed bag, dropping a couple of high balls and missing a few tackles, but he is also a game-breaker and set up some of Wales’ best chances, notably when an inside pass sent Rees-Zammit hurtling through early on and later when his pinpoint crosskick triggered the attack that ended with Gareth Davies crossing.

Whether he travels will depend on how many 10s Wales take – and how fit Owen Williams is after he missed the training camp in Turkey. But Costelow offers something different.

Carter provided good impact as a replacement against England, with Plumtree doing the same. Potentially, Plumtree could act as the hybrid forward Wales need in the back five, able to figure in the back row and also cover lock. He grafts hard and at 6ft 5in he packs a lineout presence.

DON’T RULE OUT (6)

Alex Cuthbert, Owen Williams, Nick Tompkins, Johnny Williams, Corey Domachowski, Rhys Davies.

It’s not out of the question that some, if not all, of these players could make the squad if fortune smiles on them.

Gatland is sure to factor in gauge the conditioning of Cuthbert and the two Williamses after the trio missed the training camp in Turkey. If all is OK on that front, they could be serious options.

Cuthbert’s size, aerial skills and tackle-busting strength potentially give him a point of difference, while Owen Williams can cover fly-half and inside centre. And Gatland has long favoured physical and uncompromising inside centres, with Johnny Williams fitting that template.

The industrious Tompkins will also push hard for the one of the centre spots, with tough and hard-grafting Rhys Davies, a formidable defender, set to challenge at lock.

Then there’s Domachowski.

Wales’ scrum may have hit problems against England but he worked ferociously hard around the field and it could come down to a straight shootout between him and Kemsley Mathias for the third loosehead spot.

WORK TO DO (11)

Tom Rogers, Cai Evans, Joe Roberts, Keiran Williams, Rio Dyer, Sam Parry, Keiron Assiratti, Kemsley Mathias, Teddy Williams, Christ Tshiunza, Taine Basham.

There are some quality players in this group, but for one reason or another all of them need to move up the gears quickly if they are to make the global tournament.

Tom Rogers and Cai Evans face stern competition in the back-three, with the same to be said for Roberts and Keiran Williams in midfield. Williams could be forgiven for wondering what he must do to be given a chance in a red jersey. The Ospreys centre was superb at regional level last term, standing out in big games against Montpellier, Leinster and Saracens, but so far Wales haven’t given him an on-pitch opportunity. The skilful and quick Roberts also has qualities that mark him out. The two midfielders have work to do, then, but both are significant talents.

Rio Dyer? He needs to eliminate the odd defensive glitch but he is a player who poses an attacking threat, so all isn’t lost.

Up front, Keiron Assiratti will hope to show he has learned from a tough Test baptism, while Christ Tshiunza has ground to make up after Saturday and Sam Parry could find himself moving up the pecking order depending on how quickly Ryan Elias recovers from injury.

Elsewhere, Kemsley Mathias and Teddy Williams will be keeping fingers crossed for chances, while the explosive and skilful Taine Basham faces the challenging job of breaking into a back-row mix that is set to feature Jac Morgan and Tommy Reffell.