Powerful centre who turned down Wales call five years ago to keep England options open could become bolter against South Africa

Back in 2018, it was reported that Wales were keeping tabs on four England-based centres, all of whom had played some form of rugby with a red rose on their chest: Nick Tompkins, Johnny Williams, Joe Marchant and Max Clark were the quartet in question.

Fast forward four years and three have won senior international honours. Tompkins and Williams did eventually turn out to be worth keeping an eye on, with each making their Welsh debut under Wayne Pivac. As for Marchant, he continued to wear the white of England, winning 12 caps since being handed his senior bow by Eddie Jones against Wales back in 2019.

As for the latter of the four, Clark has yet to make an appearance on the Test scene. However, he could so easily have been the first. Back in 2017, Clark turned down the chance to tour Tonga and Samoa with Wales and in doing so retained his option of turning out for England.

Born in Bridgend but having played for England's age-grade sides, it made sense to keep his choices open at the age of 21. However, a little way down the line and, with no senior international honours to his name, it seems like Clark is forging his own path.

That means swapping Bath for the Dragons next season, suggesting he has thrown his lot in with Wales when it comes to Test selection. The question now is whether he's good enough.

It's no secret that Wales are short on midfield options and Wayne Pivac is keen to bolster his squad depth with Wales-qualified players plying their trade away from the four professional sides. Could Clark potentially become an option at some point?

For some insight, we asked the opinions of John Evely, who covers Bath Rugby for Somerset Live. In a tough campaign at the Rec, he says Clark has managed to make his mark.