Warren Gatland is said to be privately optimistic that with a raft of experience returning and maturing youngsters, Wales will be competitive
Scarlets secured a third successive win in the United Rugby Championship by beating Zebre Parma 30-8 in Llanelli.
Springboks great Albert van den Berg says he would love to put one over on his former coach Jake White.
After two tough years at the helm, the former scrum-half can see brighter times ahead for Scarlets.
The Welsh national team maybe going through a chastening period but there is a rich seam of talent coming through
A year ago, 19-43 was the margin of defeat which left them contesting the fifth to eighth placings on match day four. That 24-point gap had closed on Tuesday afternoon, the Welsh losing by 18 in an 11-29 loss.
His exotic-sounding name is rooted in the Iberian Peninsula as both his parents hail from Spain, but he is very much a born-and-raised Welsh boy even though he can speak Spanish and the family used to head south from Cardiff twice a year on holiday.
The Spanish have the honour of opening the pool the DHL Stadium this Saturday, taking on a French team that didn’t fire on all cylinders in a Six Nations campaign that only merited third place.
The Welsh signed off on the recent Six Nations with a fifth place finish following home wins over Scotland and Italy and are now preparing for pool fixtures in Cape Town versus New Zealand, Spain and defending champions France.
The Scarlets have signed 20-year-old Ellis Mee from Championship outfit Nottingham ahead of next season.