There was a time not so long ago when Wales were worried about their back three options, but those days now appear to be very much in the past. With everyone reaching full fitness during lockdown, Wayne Pivac is going to have a wealth of options when it comes to picking his full-back and wings.
My long list of 15 contenders includes a group of uncapped youngsters who are progressing through the ranks.
Everyone knows about the potential of Gloucester's teenage star Louis Rees-Zammit, but the Dragons' Ashton Hewitt has also forced his way back into contention within the Welsh squad after recovering from injuries.
Keelan Giles is fully fit again and looking to realise the potential he displayed as a teenager that earned him a call-up to the Wales tour in New Zealand in 2016.
Then there are the recent Wales U20 wings, Ryan Conbeer and Rio Dyer, who have just started to make their way in the regional game.
If they offer greater depth than ever before, the experience at the top end will give Pivac and fellow coaches a few sleepless nights over selection.
The old battle will continue at full-back between Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams, but both are equally at home on the wing.
Pivac could pick them both in his starting XV and then decide between George North or Josh Adams to complete his back three. That would provide him with his most potent trio in terms of experience and try scoring ability.
But I think he needs to shake things up a bit as he moves towards 2023 and the next World Cup in France.
He needs to find out if there is another player ready to hit the ground running as Adams did when he got his big break.
The decision by Jonah Holmes to leave Leicester and join the Dragons has underlined his ambition to win a starting berth either at full-back or on the wing. He is a great broken field runner who I see more as a full back than a wing.
Hallam Amos is equally at home in either position and is a very efficient and effective player. He has looked very comfortable in a Welsh shirt in the most pressurised of atmospheres and has a huge amount to offer.
Steff Evans shone for the Scarlets, made the breakthrough to international level, but then fell away. It is going to be a big season for him to try to re-build his Test career, but his running and try-scoring abilities are good enough to get him back into his old Scarlets coach Pivac's good books.
Owen Lane is more of a wing / centre option, along similar lines to North, but certainly knows his way to the line. And then there is the ever-dependable Johnny McNicholl, the man who loves to counter-attack from deep and make something out of nothing.
Having gained a place in the squad I can see him growing in stature and influence under Pivac.
For years there have been players who can play at outside-half and centre, or centre and wing. In the modern game it is almost a pre-requisite to be able to play as a full-back or wing.
I played at No 15 a few times in my career and it certainly helped me to understand positioning and timing skills. I was better able to work with my full-back after those experiences.
There are so many skills involved in being a back three player these days and if the new World Rugby 50:22 laws are introduced in the next few years then working together as a trio is going to become even more important.
As well as being able to create and score tries, you have to be able to defend, kick and chase. I was never the greatest of kickers, but I worked hard with Neil Jenkins to improve that aspect of my game.
Neil has been huge part of Wales' success over the past decade or more, not only with his work with the goal-kickers, but in helping players to develop their kicking skills to adapt to so many different scenarios. Kicking to compete has become a big part of the Welsh game and that has brought into play another huge aspect for the back three players.
The skill displayed by both Dan Biggar, with his pin-point cross kick, and the courage, determination and dexterity of Josh Adams to chase, jump, catch and stretch to score his epic try against England in 2019, are perfect examples of how the game has changed from years ago.
At 5ft 6in tall it was always difficult for me to jump against full-backs and wings who were well over six feet. But I was explosive enough to get off the ground once I learned how to chase and compete.
Learning when to kick to clear your lines, or to kick to put pressure on the opposition, are areas in which Neil has worked with so many players over the years and it can often take a while for players to switch on to a new set of options and skills.
Given the current crisis, and the uncertainty that surrounds the future of international fixtures this year, the pressure is going to build on Pivac to push players like Rees-Zammit and Lane into major games to see what they have got to offer. It could be a ‘sink or swim' situation, but I think they both deserve a chance to shine.
That will then put pressure on the old guard and keep them on their toes. What team wouldn't want a Halfpenny, Williams or North in their ranks?
But what Pivac and the Welsh fans want is the three of them playing at the peak of their powers. That's where the competition from others comes into play and is where Grand Slams are made.
