Sam Warburton looks to have won his personal battle to feature in the Wales back row for the RBS 6 Nations opener with Italy in Rome on Sunday.
And Nicky Smith seems likely to get the nod to figure at loose-head prop ahead of Rob Evans for the clash in the Eternal City.
Rob Howley will announce his side on Thursday for a match Wales need to win to build momentum heading into the date with champions England in Cardiff a week on Saturday.
There has been speculation that Warburton might be squeezed out of a starting spot, given Justin Tipuric’s outstanding form at openside and the eye-catching efforts of Thomas Young this season, which have led a number of pundits to call for the youngster to be picked at blindside flanker.
But Howley looks to have decided he dare not go into such a key game minus a player of Warburton’s proven big-match experience.
The absence of Gethin Jenkins wouldn’t have harmed Warburton’s case, either.
With the front-row turnover king missing because of injury, Wales need all the experience they can muster at the breakdown to help them achieve the possession steals that are so vital to any game.
Elsewhere, Scarlets man Rob Evans had been widely tipped to get the nod at No. 1, but Smith impressed Howley during the autumn, with the 22-year-old showing a big appetite for work and making serious improvements with his ball-carrying.
He has maintained that form as part of an Ospreys side who sit on top of the Guinness Pro12 and are in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
Rhys Webb is expected to be named at scrum-half after successfully satisfying the selectors of his fitness on returning from an 11-week injury layoff.
Wales (possible): L. Halfpenny; L. Williams, J. Davies, S. Williams, G. North; D. Biggar, R. Webb; N. Smith, K. Owens, S. Lee, J. Ball, A. W. Jones (capt), S. Warburton, R. Moriarty, J. Tipuric.
