The Wales position troubling Wayne Pivac and the raft of men he's tried, tested or rejected

Once, it was a selection call that posed no problems for Wales, involving a straightforward decision to pick Dan Lydiate.

Under Warren Gatland, the 2012 Six Nations player of the tournament fitted the blindside’s brief perfectly, not least because of his celebrated tackling skills that allowed opensides or others to slow down opposition ball or turn it over. For Gatland, Lydiate offered physicality in abundance, and the New Zealander couldn't get enough of him.

He delivered for the coach, too.

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When offensive ploys didn’t work out as they should have, it was invariably the man of impeccable farming stock who rolled up his sleeves and did the tidying up, either by stopping would-be counter-attackers dead in their tracks or making them momentarily hesitate before running down his channel.

The 6ft 4in, 18st 1lb Lydiate also proved adept at the art of clearing out opponents at the breakdown, while he added ballast to defensive mauls. Little wonder Shaun Edwards once called him his favourite player.

When he didn’t play Wales missed him; when he was a doubt for a game they worried. Rewind to 2011 when there was a question mark over whether he’d be bit to face Ireland in the World Cup quarter finals. The mood around the camp at a pre-game press conference was one of deep concern that their top defensive player would be unavailable. History tells us he played and helped inspire one of the great Wales performances under Gatland, with Lydiate putting in 24 tackles without a single miss.

He is still going strong with the Ospreys, of course, after recently returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for a year.

But the old certainty in selection at blindside has gone for