The backdrop to the final World Cup selection meeting for Warren Gatland and his coaches was pretty stark.

The Springboks bristled with pace and power as they demolished their hosts 52-16.

Wales fielded an inexperienced line-up - the starting XV boasted only 235 caps between them - and South Africa showed no mercy as they cruised to a record victory.

This was hardly ideal preparation before the World Cup in France for a Wales side languishing in 10th in the world rankings, below group rivals Australia and Fiji.

Gatland now has to put South Africa to one side for one moment as he names his fourth Wales World Cup squad on Monday, with his 33-man class of 2023 scheduled to be announced just after noon.

The selection is expected to include 19 forwards and 14 backs.

Gatland suggested the Springboks defeat answered some selection questions. As he mulls over the make-up of his party with his coaches at Wales' Vale of Glamorgan base - and gets set to leave 15 of his 48 players disappointed - Gatland has decisions to make .

How many injured players can Wales take?

This question will be the crux of Gatland's thinking when he is considering his squad's composition. He currently has nine players carrying niggles ahead of the World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux on 10 September.

Fly-half Gareth Anscombe, wing Alex Cuthbert and number eight Taulupe Faletau are the only members of the training squad who have not featured in any of the three warm-up games.

Cuthbert (calf), fly-half Dan Biggar (back) and full-back Liam Williams (hamstring) pulled out of the South Africa match because of minor problems, in moves that were labelled "precautionary".

Hookers Dewi Lake and Ryan Elias, lock Dafydd Jenkins and back-row forward Taine Plumtree suffered injuries during Wales' home and away appointments with England and are battling to be fit to face Fiji.

Hooker is the main concern, with three specialists expected to be selected and doubts over the fitness of two of them. Sam Parry and Elliot Dee will be in contention because of these problems.

Captain Jac?

With Ospreys flanker Jac Morgan leading Wales in two of their three preparation Tests, he is odds-on favourite to be the World Cup captain.

The 23-year-old set a high bar during Wales' 20-9 victory over England on 5 August, and was resolute in the defeat against South Africa after again being handed the reins.

Gatland appointed a 22-year-old Sam Warburton as his World Cup skipper in 2011, and Morgan is of a similar mould, a performer who has huge respect from playing peers and coaches alike.

Lake captained the side against England at Twickenham, while Biggar and Adam Beard have also led Wales on occasions.

But Morgan seems set to lead Wales at the World Cup and appears to have the credentials for the job.

Can Wales take Halfpenny, and who will be centre stage?

Gatland has lost a lot of experience following the retirements of Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb and the back injury suffered by Six Nations skipper Ken Owens.

Now he has to decide whether he can afford not to lean on the services of Scarlets full-back Leigh Halfpenny, who enjoyed almost the perfect day by winning his 100th Wales cap and proving instrumental in victory over England in Cardiff.

As Wales consider potentially taking four players to cover full-back and wings, Halfpenny provides a specialist and dependable number 15 option alongside Liam Williams, who excelled at Twickenham.

Whether Halfpenny is selected ahead of wings Louis Rees-Zammit, Josh Adams, Rio Dyer and Cuthbert remains to be seen, but Wales will struggle to fit everybody in.

Rees-Zammit and Adams could slot in at full-back, while fly-half Anscombe has also started for Wales in the number 15 jersey. He is competing with Biggar, Owen Williams and Sam Costelow for the three number 10 spots.

The make-up of the back-three could impact on the midfield selection with two of the centres, George North and Mason Grady, able to double up on the wing.

There are seven centre options battling for four potential places, with Grady and North joined by Max Llewellyn, Johnny Williams, Nick Tompkins, Joe Roberts and Keiran Williams.

Inside centre is the headache with not one of the candidates - Johnny Williams, Keiran Williams, Tompkins or Llewellyn - excelling this summer.

A settled midfield combination has proved an Achilles heel for Wales coaches Wayne Pivac and Gatland, with 22 different partnerships picked in 42 matches since the last World Cup.

Gatland himself has used eight midfield men in 2023 alone. He will probably choose only half that number on Monday.

Prop posers, hybrids or back-row specialists?

The scrum has proved problematic during the World Cup warm-ups and the front five remains an area of concern.

The hooker injuries have been documented but there are eight props battling for six spots with three loose-heads and a trio of tight-heads expected to travel.

Corey Domachowski, Kemsley Mathias, Nicky Smith and Gareth Thomas are battling for the loose-head positions, while only three of four tight-head contenders - Keiron Assiratti, Henry Thomas, Tomas Francis and Dillon Lewis - will be selected.

Picking nine front-row players would leave space for 10 more to fill the second row and back row roles.

Beard, Jenkins - injury permitting - and Will Rowlands would be the favourites for France, with Rhys Davies, Ben Carter and Teddy Williams the other second-row specialists potentially battling to fill the final spot.

Christ Tshiunza and Plumtree have been identified as players who can fill the hybrid flanker/lock position, while Faletau's fitness will be scrutinised with the number eight's status as one of Wales' few world-class players meaning he will be given longer than most to prove his fitness.

With Morgan and Aaron Wainwright almost guaranteed their positions, the remaining spots will be decided between Taine Basham, Dan Lydiate and Tommy Reffell.

Like Halfpenny, Lydiate offers experience and expertise in a specialist role, but whether Gatland chooses more versatility and youth remains to be seen.

Wales hopefuls

Forwards: Corey Domachowski, Kemsley Mathias, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias, Dewi Lake, Sam Parry, Keiron Assiratti, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, Henry Thomas, Adam Beard, Ben Carter, Rhys Davies, Teddy Williams, Dafydd Jenkins, Will Rowlands, Christ Tshiunza, Taine Plumtree, Taine Basham, Dan Lydiate, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright, Taulupe Faletau.

Backs: Gareth Davies, Kieran Hardy, Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Sam Costelow, Owen Williams, Johnny Williams, Max Llewellyn, Keiran Williams, Nick Tompkins, Mason Grady, Joe Roberts, George North, Josh Adams, Alex Cuthbert, Rio Dyer, Louis Rees-Zammit, Tom Rogers, Cai Evans, Liam Williams, Leigh Halfpenny.