The players that staked late claims for Wales spots

Wales head coach Steve Tandy has selected his Nations Championship squad for upcoming fixtures, including matches against Japan, New Zealand and Australia in Cardiff, as well as a fixture against a southern hemisphere opponent at Twickenham on finals weekend. The squad announcement came after the Welsh clubs made winning starts in the Challenge Cup and Cardiff competed hard but lost at Northampton in their return to the top-tier Champions Cup.

Taulupe Faletau, a Wales international with 109 caps, returned from injury and impressed during his brief appearance for Cardiff. He racked up 65 metres with eight carries in the first half and made a crucial defensive moment to deny Callum Chick on the try line. Faletau is expected to remain fit and will be one of the options in Tandy's back row.

Josh Adams, another Wales international, came on for the final quarter in the east Midlands during Cardiff's Champions Cup match. He will benefit from a first run out, although he was overtaken by George Hendy at the try line. Adams provides Tandy with an experienced and dependable option in the back three.

Tomos Williams, a 21-year-old scrum-half, is a starter against Japan on November 7 and has competition for the jersey with the return of Gareth Davies from injury. Reuben Morgan-Williams, despite being a forgotten man in recent times, made an impact in Wales' recent Test match in South Africa, providing lively displays, two clean breaks, and carrying the ball 11 times. He could be considered for the deputy role to Saracens scrum-half Tomos Williams.

Aneurin Owen, who has carried strongly and shown strong distribution skills for Dragons, remains uncapped but could find a place in the squad with the injury to Ben Thomas. Filo Tiatia's Dragons have made a strong start to the season, with blind-side flanker Shane Lewis-Hughes continuing his strong start and other forwards like Elliot Dee and Rio Dyer providing impressive performances.