Five doesn't go into Seven

Throughout time there has been one selection debate above all others that has raged like an inferno in Wales, which player should wear the coveted number ten jersey. And while the discussions over pints in the pub still continue now, another fierce discourse has arisen in the last few years, that as to who should have lucky number seven on their back. Seven years ago Sam Warburton was the undisputed openside, the only one to travel to New Zealand for the World Cup, captain, and respected on a global level. However new challengers have arisen and now Warren Gatland has tough decision to make ahead of 2019, here's the rundown of the five capped opensides available to Gatland and co.

He might be saying it's a "good headache", but there will be some tough decisions to make for Gatland.

Subs and Second Choices

It wasn't too long ago when deciding on the replacement for a team was pretty simple. Take the players who were nearly good enough to start, give them a number between 16 and 23 and you were done. That's all changed now. Eddie Jones is not the first coach to realise that the eight substitutes will be the ones who finish the game, but he is probably the one responsible for bringing the concept into the limelight with his famed coining of the phrase "finishers". Although what does the idea mean in real terms?

Eddie Jones and his infamous "finishers" brought the reality of replacements into the public eye.

Rest for the Summer?

The season is coming to a close in Europe, which means the Summer Tours are only a few weeks away. Each team knows where they stand after the ferociously close Six Nations, and know what they need to work on. The biggest question facing all the top coaches was the choice between taking your top players or resting them ahead of the World Cup cycle which starts in September. Once the season starts again at the end of the year the international players will get no rest for nigh on twenty-one months. Just let that sink in. A physically exhausting, high impact sport with no rest for nearly two years. No one-month recuperation to let your body fix itself, instead, your summer will most likely be spent in the baking heat or in extreme altitude pushing yourself beyond your limit to try and make that 30 man squad come September.

To that end some coaches have opted to leave behind their best players this summer, allowing those who played in the Lions series, and those who they know what they can do, to get a longer rest and decent pre-season. Others have decided the opposite, a chance to build some momentum against the Southern Hemisphere heavyweights, a chance to right the wrongs that appeared in February and March. So which is the better option?

Stander and Murray probably thanking Joe Schmidt for a break this summer after their heroics last summer.