The seven players not used by Wales this autumn as World Cup star nowhere to be seen

In the wake of Warren Gatland's team announcement ahead of the final autumn clash, we take a look at the seven players who were not selected for any of the matches.

Wales face South Africa on Saturday night, in what seems like a hugely daunting task. Gatland has decided to bring in Gloucester lock Freddie Thomas on the bench, who will likely earn his first cap. There's also a first appearance of the Autumn Nations Series for Rio Dyer on the wing.

There will always be players who don't get picked over the course of an international campaign, but sometimes there are absences that are more surprising than others.

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Below, we take a look at these unused players. (Ben Carter was injured in the first week of camp, so we won't include him.)

Teddy Williams

Williams was called up as Ben Carter's replacement, after the Dragons RFC lock was released from the squad due to a knee injury sustained in training.

Williams was first called up by Warren Gatland in January 2023 ahead of the Six Nations. He went on to make his debut for Wales in the Rugby World Cup warm-up match against South Africa later that year.

He has earned two caps for Wales, but wasn't called upon this autumn. However, at just 24, there's plenty of time for Williams to break back into the set-up and become a regular.

Kemsley Mathias

Included on the bench in the first and second Test against Australia in the summer, as well as starting the un-capped game against Queensland Reds, Haverfordwest man Mathias won't play this autumn.

Mathias was a promising player at youth level, and was part of the Wales U20s team that beat New Zealand in the 2019 Junior World Championships (packing down alongside him on that day was current Wales captain Dewi Lake).

Fine form for Scarlets in the 2022/2023 season earned Mathias the breakthrough player of the season accolade, and his first Wales call-up earlier this year.

The 25-year-old has earned four caps for his country, but has stiff competition from Ospreys loose-head Gareth Thomas, who has been a constant for Wales in recent times. It doesn't help Mathias that the number two choice at loose-head is Nicky Smith, a formidable scrummager who now plies his trade for Leicester Tigers in England.

Evan Lloyd

Like Mathias, Lloyd started against Queensland Reds and was a replacement in both summer Tests against Australia, but he won't get any minutes this autumn.

The Penarth-born hooker only made his Cardiff Rugby debut in November 2023, before making his international rugby debut against France in the 2024 Six Nations.

Skipper Dewi Lake is nailed-on to start at hooker whenever available, but there's no reason why Lloyd can't challenge Ryan Elias for the number two spot in upcoming campaigns. Furthermore, if Lake is selected by the British and Irish Lions during the summer of 2025, Lloyd will have an opportunity to secure the starting berth on Wales' summer tour of Japan. However, he'll also have Elliot Dee to compete with, once the Dragons man is back from injury.

Henry Thomas

Thomas, 33, is one of the more experienced props in the Wales set-up. He's a reliable scrummager with experience of playing in France's Top 14 and the Gallagher Premiership, along with the fact he's a former England international. However, he won't play this autumn.

Thomas moved to Scarlets to pursue his international ambitions with Wales, so he'll likely be frustrated about his lack of game time this autumn, but there's an opportunity in the 2025 Six Nations, which is just around the corner.

In fairness to Wales, despite their many ills this autumn, the scrum has been something of a golden nugget amongst the mess.

Archie Griffin, with whom Thomas is competing for a place at tight-head, was excellent against Australia. The Bath prop helped earn Wales a couple of penalties as Gatland's pack stayed dominant in this area. Therefore, in fairness to Gatland, there's no reason to change the front row, despite Thomas' experience.

Owen Watkin

Watkin, 28, has earned 41 caps for Wales since making his debut in 2017. Despite the fact he's not yet 30, Watkin is one of the more experienced Wales players, but his services have not been called upon this autumn.

Gatland has instead opted for a partnership between Max Llewellyn and Ben Thomas in the centre. The pair provide a nice blend of physicality and creativity. Llewellyn has carried well and Thomas has shown signs of the flair he exudes at club level, but they haven't been able to click just yet in the current Wales environment, but it's early days, yet.

Watkin has always been rated for his defensive solidity and has been a reliable operator in the Welsh midfield, but it seems like Gatland sees the future in Llewellyn and Thomas.

Kieran Hardy

Hardy was called up by Gatland after an injury to Tomos Williams against Fiji. In fairness, Hardy has only been in the squad for a week, so it was unlikely that he was going to feature this autumn.

He only made his first start for Ospreys on October 17, and Gatland had previously explained that he would like to see the 28-year-old get a more time on the field before calling on him.

"We've got someone like Kieran Hardy who is just coming back from injury and we want to see him get some more rugby to put himself back in contention for the Six Nations," explained Gatland.

Nick Tompkins

As previously mentioned, it seems like Gatland is going for Llewellyn and Thomas as his centre partnership going forward. However, it's surprising to see Tompkins not even get a place on the bench this autumn.

The Saracens 12 had been a regular in Gatland's team throughout the World Cup just over a year ago and shone. In a time where the centre combinations were regularly interchanged, George North and Tompkins were a constant that campaign, starting four out of five matches together.

Since that first win of the World Cup against Fiji in France, right up to the summer tour of Australia this year, Tompkins started or was a replacement in 10 out of 12 Tests (wasn't included against France in 6N and Portugal in WC).

Fast forward to the autumn tour, and Tompkins hasn't ben included in any of the match day squads. With the introduction of Scarlets star Eddie James, it may have just become even harder for Tompkins to break back into the squad.

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NB. There's a small chance these players could get minutes on Saturday, should Wales pick up injuries prior to kick-off.