The enduring class of Taulupe Faletau, Liam Williams and Josh Adams on their returns gives Wales hope after a wretched year.
No one is expecting Wales to beat South Africa but the performance will go a long way to proving Gatland retains the faith of his players
With no evidence of progress and 400 days since Wales' last win, Warren Gatland is under intense scrutiny.
After two tough years at the helm, the former scrum-half can see brighter times ahead for Scarlets.
The Millennium Stadium was still a building site in June 1999 on what turned out to be one of the best days in the modern history of Welsh Rugby.
The British and Irish Lion has seen his long stay at the Scarlets end and he is looking for a new opportunity
With Louis Rees-Zammit heading for the NFL and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso plumping for the Red Rose, Wales' depth chart is stuck in the shallow end
Wales centre Joe Roberts will be out of action until next season after undergoing an operation on a knee injury.
Wales will soon be boosted by the return of some leading lights but the immediate aim is to end a losing home run.