Warren Gatland has pin-pointed Tomos Williams' X-Factor ahead of his Six Nations debut.
The Cardiff Blues favourite has established himself as one of the most devastating attackers in recent seasons, scoring some sensational tries for his home region, notably against Gloucester in the European Challenge Cup final.
He has continued his fine form this season and has been handed the number nine jersey for the Championship opener against France on Friday night.
Gatland said: “It’s a great opportunity for him for his first Six Nations game. He’s not the biggest man in the world but he’s competitive.
“We feel he’s a player with a future, he has things to work – he knows that, from a defensive point of view – but he’s got some lovely little touches and a bit of x-factor about him as well.
“It’s a position where we’ve got some real strength depth at the moment with Gareth and Aled Davies was great this summer, particularly in the second Test against Argentina.
“So, a lot of competition but we’re still looking for some improvement in that position as well.”
Williams is partnered by his Cardiff Blues teammate Gareth Anscombe at half-back, while Josh Navidi also starts on the blindside.
Navidi returns to the Wales squad after missing the autumn internationals through injury and while Gatland believes he deserves a recall, he also emphasised how unfortunate fellow Cardiff Blue, Dillon Lewis was to miss out.
Gatland added: “I think sometimes players play their way into form and deserve to be reselected. Definitely Josh, it’s a reward for the way he played and he gets a chance to prove himself again.
"That’s any position, I feel for Dillon Lewis. He’s been involved in the last seven games and hasn’t been involved in a losing Welsh team and he’s not in the 23.
"Sometimes you make those tough calls, you’re giving others an opportunity. Samson Lee comes back into the 23 for the first time in a while and he’s got a big job to prove himself.
"He feels really sorry for Dillon being left out of the squad and hopefully he will get a chance in that second match against Italy.”