In years gone by, the Cote D'Azur has been a place of solace for Warren Gatland.

In 2019, Nice was the perfect place to build the early momentum on the way to a Grand Slam. In 2023, it was ideal for getting away from the aftermath of potential strike action.

Yet the powers of the French Riviera will be stretched in the coming days. Will it be a few days in February with the sunshine on their backs that finally helps end the torrid losing run at Test level?

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Defeat in Paris last Friday made it 13 in a row now on the international stage. Another nadir in terms of the world rankings beckons should they lose, and Georgia see off the Netherlands, this weekend.

Twelfth in the world would be a sorry sight for Wales - another step deeper into the doldrums that Gatland hoped Wales wouldn't return to when he left back in 2019.

It would, almost certainly, signal the end of his second tenure in charge. Having won just six of his 25 matches since coming back to the job, and having conceded 140 points in the last three Tests alone, things are looking bleak.

In all honesty, having been granted a stay of execution for this tournament with the condition of 'leading Wales to success', even victory in Rome might not be enough.

And so, for all that Nice has to offer - from the novelty of sunshine in the second month of the year that the Vale of Glamorgan rarely offers, to the first of Adam Jones' quiz nights - the now semi-regular sojourn to the south of France might not provide Gatland the solace it so often has in previous years.

Come Saturday, there'll still be no hiding place from this current run.

More of the same, but better

However, if he nearing the end, then he'll do so sticking to his guns. The feeling in camp this week is that there wasn't a great deal wrong with the performance in Paris, scoreline aside, and it's been a case of evolution, rather than revolution at their Stade Marcel Volot training base.

Speaking on Tuesday, flanker James Botham admitted that they couldn't just "go straight back to the drawing board, with such a short turnaround".

"We've worked so hard on things," added the Cardiff back-row. "If it is doesn't go our way, you can't just chuck it out.

"You've got to back the system. That's the reason we've got the whole campaign, to tweak things and make it work."

"We expected to get some points and give them a run for their money, but things don't always go your way. We were unlucky at times, held up over the line. That's just how the cookie crumbles.

"You take it on the chin. We go back in with the same gameplan. Obviously, slightly different, because it's a different team. So some things we'll tweak and hopefully those one-percenters go our way."

It was a sentiment echoed by Elliot Dee, when he spoke to WalesOnline's Welsh Rugby Podcast on Wednesday.

"We had a good look at it, an honest review of the game and the areas where we feel we need to improve," said the hooker. "There was no lack of effort.

"Boys put their body on the line and some lads in the pack had some massive stats, in terms of tackling and carrying their heart out. I think we probably overplayed at times.

"We didn't break France down like we wanted to. We got caught on quick-flash instances, where they've gone the length and scored, or our discipline has let us down and got them in the corner. Scoreline aside, which wasn't ideal, there was a lot of effort in that game.

"It's a funny sport, it only takes one or two things to click and results can turn around. There's always a confidence in the group.

"Everyone works hard every day, the environment is great and it's one everyone enjoys. We're looking to bounce back and go do what we know what we've capable."

Perhaps a little concerningly, after a weekend where Wales passed more and kicked less than any other side in the Six Nations - only to come away with no points - talk of remaining progressive and sticking to their guns has felt more prominent in camp than being pragmatic and curbing the overplaying.

The right man for the right role or just another throw of the dice?

Midfield has been something of a conundrum for some time now.

In his 25 Tests so far since returning to the Wales job, Gatland has used 10 different midfield combinations in terms of personnel. Obviously, last week saw Owen Watkin wear 12 and Nick Tompkins wear 13 - different to the previous time Gatland paired them together - so if you're working on the basis that positions in midfield matter more than just left and right, that's 11 different combinations in that sense.

With Watkin out and Eddie James thrown in for a first start after three caps off the bench, you can add another new midfield combination to the mix.

In fairness, the problem has been there for some time. Whereas Gatland's first time in charge always had a fairly settled midfield, the years since have been anything but.

Going back to the start of Wayne Pivac's reign in 2020, the clash with Italy will be Wales' 60th Test in these five years. The pairing of James and Tompkins will be the 24th different pairing in terms of personnel.

Factor in Tompkins, Watkin and Jonathan Davies wearing both numbers on their back and it's 27 different combinations in that sense. That's almost a new centre partnership every other game in the last five years.

Only one combination - Tompkins and North - has played more than five times together in that time. Of the 23 different pairings so far, 10 have played together just once.

Narrowing it down to Gatland's recent time in charge, the most any combination beyond Tompkins and North have managed together is three Tests. Both of those, with Mason Grady at 12 in the summer and Ben Thomas in the same jersey in the autumn, are experiments Gatland has seemingly moved on from.

So whether James and Tompkins are to be any different from the norm remains to be seen. It also begs the question around Joe Roberts.

Welsh coaches are said to be fond of the Scarlets centre and his left-footed kicking option, while Gatland has bemoaned the lack of an out-and-out 13 at his disposal. Yet Roberts is the most natural outside centre Wales have and he's yet to feature in either matchday squad.

According to Wales, there's no injury concerns, which makes it all the more odd.

Focusing on the players selected, James does at least have the tools to help Wales improve from their attacking disaster-class last Friday. A big ball carrier with soft hands, he'll challenge the defence in a way that perhaps Wales' midfield couldn't last week.

Last Friday, Wales were guilty of overplaying. James can play, of course, but his size and strength at least allows him to keep defences honest before he does so.

Wales, unlike some of their other midfield options, also do seem to know how to use James - from the brief times he's pulled on the jersey.

In the same Springbok defeat in the autumn that seemingly did for Max Llewellyn's selection chances - even though it was more down to coaching choice than anything that the Gloucester man didn't touch the ball once - Wales used James as a carrying option off the bench.

As galling as that must have been for Llewellyn, who struggled to get himself into the game when Wales weren't putting the ball in his hand on first-phase, given they rarely kept it much longer, James showed how he can be a strong carrier at Test level.

Coming off the bench, Wales used James to run hard out-to-in lines off first phase. Carrying five times off the bench, he made 20 metres against the Boks - with only three Welshman making more ground than him on the day.

A start on Saturday will provide him with more opportunities - with Ben Thomas and Tompkins, as centres for most of Friday's defeat, getting into double figures with their carries.

The key for James and Wales will to not be as deep as the carries last week, with the Welsh runners ineffectual against France.

A long-awaited return

Sat around in the white media tent in the Stade de La Beaujoire's car park after Wales' victory over Georgia in Nantes 16 months ago, the mood wasn't one of positivity after Gatland's side had won four from four to make it to the World Cup knockout stages as pool winners.

Instead, it felt like the wind had been taken from Wales' sails. Taulupe Faletau, at his best in that World Cup, was out of the tournament with a broken arm.

That was 16 months ago and very little has gone right for Wales since. That day in Nantes, just shy of 500 days ago, was the last time Wales won at Test level.

Since then, without Faletau in their back-row, there have been 13 defeats. Of course, the absence of the three-time Lions tourist is not the only factor in Wales' dismal run in the past year or so.

But having him back, providing he gets through the latter part of the week without aggravating his knee problem, is huge for Wales.

Wales don't have ball carriers who can outmuscle defences, beyond Jac Morgan who just batters against the tide regardless.

Yet in Faletau, they have, at his best, someone who can dictate contact through how he carries. The importance of that cannot be overstated.