Over the next week there will be numerous extensive selection meetings between Warren Gatland and his coaching team.

With the Wales squad for the Six Nations set to get announced next Monday there are a number of key selection calls to be made. As is usually the case the majority of the squad will be set in stone but there are a number of places up for grabs and a fair few exiles will be in contention.

Much has been made of the Welsh rugby's thin playing base so Gatland will also be looking across the Severn Bridge for players who could add some depth and quality to the squad. The likes of Nick Tompkins, Dafydd Jenkins, Christ Tshiunza, Nicky Smith, Gareth Anscombe, Max Lewellyn, Josh Hathaway and Tomos Williams are well known but there are a handful of Welsh qualified players within the Gallagher Premiership who aren't household names but could potentially do a job for Gatland now, or in the future.

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Exeter Chiefs hooker Jack Innard has been spoken of as a potential short-term solution to an injury crisis at hooker.

Dewi Lake is expected to miss the entirety of the Six Nations, while both Ryan Elias and Elliot Dee having been struggling with injuries. Gatland could call-up experienced Ospreys hooker Sam Parry if there is no ill-feeling between the pair after the 33-year-old walked out of Wales camp prior to their clash with South Africa last summer, while there is also the option of experienced Cardiff captain Liam Belcher.

Gatland also has the likes of Evan Lloyd, Efan Daniel and Brodie Coghlan to call upon but all three are inexperienced at Test level.

Former England U20s hooker Innard has been a squad player at Exeter since 2013 but has spent time on loan in the English Championship. Whether Innard is Test level is questionable.

Wales are very keen to select Bath's England U18s hooker Kepu Tuipulotu in the near future. The Pontypool born hooker is considered one of the best prospects in British rugby but Wales look to be fighting a losing battle, with Tuipulotu captaining England at age grade level and seemingly being keen to stick with that route.

One player who is a serious contender for this year's Six Nations squad is giant Exeter centre and wing Zack Wimbush. At 6ft 6in and 118kg, Wimbush packs a physical punch. The 21-year-old is an explosive ball carrier who made the second highest metres post-contact in all four major domestic competitions in world rugby - United Rugby Championship, Gallagher Premiership, Top 14 and Super Rugby Pacific - while his distribution skills are also top notch.

Another man who Wales should be keeping an eye on is Northampton Saints second-row Tom Lockett.

The 22-year-old is an enormous man at 6ft 7in and 112kg who has been excellent for Saints this season. Lockett impressed in Northampton's stunning Champions Cup victory over the Bulls in Pretoria last month and is exactly the type of lock Wales could do with.

It is unclear where Lockett's allegiances lie having represented Wales U18s before playing for England at U20s level but he'd add some real depth to Gatland's second-row resources.

Dafydd Jenkins is a certainty to return, while the likes of Teddy Williams, Will Rowlands and Freddie Thomas are likely selections. The smart money is on Wales keeping faith with Christ Tshiunza, especially given his versatility, but the 22-year-old has not figured of late for a struggling Exeter Chiefs side.

The intriguing dual-qualified option is former Ospreys backrower Olly Cracknell was has been a revelation for Leicester Tigers this season.

Cracknell was included in Wales' squad for the 2017 Six Nations but never got capped. The 30-year-old has taken his game to another level since leaving Wales for the Gallagher Premiership and offers the raw physicality and destructive carrying which is perhaps in short supply.

“He’s an intelligent guy and thinks about the game well," said Leicester head coach Michael Cheika. "He’s a bloody good player, carrying well for us and being physical. He’s stoic and quiet but he’s becoming invaluable.

"He’s probably one of the best back-rowers in England right now. He might not have the flash and the glitter but he’s doing the job, for sure.

“I don’t think he’s got the ‘potential’ [for Test rugby] – he’s there. If they played him at that level then he would definitely perform, because he’s got the mentality and the temperament.” Of course, the problem is who would make way for Cracknell, but if a coach of Cheika's standing provides such a glowing character reference he should at the very least be seriously considered.

Bristol Bears centre Joe Jenkins is somebody who is being monitored by the Wales management and the England U20s midfielder is highly regarded by Pat Lam. The 21-year-old is an extremely intelligent footballer who makes other players look good while he has a habit of gliding past defenders.

Jenkins is somebody who will likely win a Wales cap in the near future, while Harlequins' former Wales U20s centre Bryn Bradley also has a high ceiling. Gloucester wing Ioan Jones also qualifies for Wales while Bristol centre Gethin O'Callaghan along with his wing partner Jack Bates are eligible to represent Gatland's side.

Exeter Chiefs backrower Kane James is also someone Wales would like to have in his system but the 19-year-old also qualifies for England and New Zealand. The Welsh Rugby Union have come in for huge criticism since Immanuel Feyi-Waboso decided to turn his back on the land of his birth but every effort is being made to tie down numerous dual-qualified players.