Following the first two rounds of the Six Nations Warren Gatland is considering his options at tighthead after young Bath prop Archie Griffin was ruled out of the Championship with a knee injury.
With Dragons prop Leon Brown also carrying a knock, Gatland is expected to replenish his front-row stocks over the coming days. Keiron Assiratti is favourite to wear the number three shirt against Ireland after a strong performance at Twickenham, while the experienced Dillon Lewis is also an option.
But Wales will need some extra depth at tighthead over the coming weeks. Rugby correspondent Steffan Thomas takes a look at eight potential options Gatland could consider inviting into his squad.
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Harri O'Connor
The 23-year-old has long been touted as a future international, and given Wales are looking to the future it wouldn't be a complete surprise if O'Connor was Griffin's replacement. O'Connor has some familiarity with the national set-up having been called up to the squad to face the Barbarians.
The Scarlets prop made a cameo appearance off the replacements' bench in the uncapped game in Cardiff. O'Connor is a decent scrummager but like many players down west has struggled being part of an underpowered Scarlets front five.
Sam Wainwright
The Scarlets prop was a shock call-up for Wales' summer tour of South Africa in 2022. Given he had hardly played any senior professional rugby up to that point he acquitted himself very well as a late replacement in Wales' historic victory over South Africa in Bloemfontein.
The 25-year-old has won four caps but they all came under Gatland's predecessor Wayne Pivac. At 5ft 11ins and 18st 8lbs, Wainwright certainly has the size to play international rugby.
The north Walian has a big work-rate and is a strong carrier, while he also offers himself as a jackal threat at the breakdown. Previously his scrummaging has been questioned but this is an area of his game which has improved, as was evident when he held his own against Ospreys and Wales loosehead Gareth Thomas on Boxing Day and the Clermont Auvergne scrum last month.
Will Davies-King
The 25-year-old Cardiff prop could be an option considering Gatland included him in his extended World Cup training squad. Davies-King took an unconventional route to professional rugby, so is far from the finished product, but he has got real size on his side.
The man from Chepstow remains a work in progress at scrum time but he does offer physicality around the park. He's a potential rough diamond Wales could develop over the next couple of years but whether he's up to the standard required to start a Test match at this moment in time remains to be seen.
Rhys Litterick
The former Harlequins prop has proved to be a handy signing for Cardiff. Litterick's scrummaging technique is sound, while he has held his own against some big South African packs this season.
The 24-year-old works hard around the park, and while he is not a dynamic carrier he likes to get stuck in doing the unseen dirty work. Litterick could be someone Wales want to have a look at moving forward but suggestions he has a thumb injury could rule him out at this point.
Tom Botha
The South Africa-born tighthead qualifies for Wales on residency and is the cornerstone of the Ospreys pack. Botha is undoubtedly the best scrummaging tighthead in Welsh rugby, but perhaps doesn't offer as much around the park as other props.
If Wales want to shore up the scrum for their trip to Dublin then Botha, 33, is probably their best bet. However, Gatland isn't looking for quick fixes and the Wales coach is putting a lot of emphasis on building some strength in depth with the 2027 Rugby World Cup in mind.
Assiratti held up the scrum very well at Twickenham and is likely to retain the shirt against Ireland. The smart money is on Gatland opting for a younger option.
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Ben Warren
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth is a big believer in the former Wales U20s prop. The 23-year-old has a high ceiling and given Gatland wants to build for the future he might want to take a look at Warren.
Warren is a work in progress but he has the size and the physicality needed to make the step up. His scrummaging is pretty strong, while he offers himself as a carrier around the park.
Expect him to get more game-time with the Ospreys over the next couple of seasons. Perhaps he hasn't played enough rugby to be considered for international honours at the moment but he is a player with the potential to do so in the future.
Lloyd Fairbrother
The Dragons prop is a fans' favourite at Rodney Parade, while he started Wales' uncapped game against the Barbarians last November.
Fairbrother is a decent scrummager at regional level, while he is also an explosive carrier. Whether he is anything more than a solid regional player is up for debate but at 32 years old he would be a short-term fix for Wales rather than a long-term option.
Fairbrother is understood to have a calf injury that has been keeping him out of action for a couple of weeks, so he may not be an option.
Tomas Francis
The 31-year-old has been the cornerstone of the Wales pack since making his Test debut against Ireland back in 2015. Francis made himself unavailable for the Six Nations after his move to PRO D2 outfit Provence Rugby but is expected to be available in the future.
Gatland could do worse than try to persuade the powerful scrummager to change his mind and make himself available for the rest of the Six Nations. One potential problem would be a lack of preparation time, and given Assiratti's performance against England Gatland may be happy enough with the Cardiff prop, so he may prefer to take a look at a younger option.
