Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac expects his region to dominate the Wales squad for the Six Nations when it is announced on Tuesday morning at 11am.
Warren Gatland is expected to name 37 players for the tournament and Pivac believes almost half of them could come from Parc Y Scarlets.
That representation in the national squad could be swelled further next season if George North opts to return to Llanelli from Northampton, with Pivac having confirmed he has held talks with the Lions wing over his national dual contract location.
Pivac’s team have led the way in Wales in both the Guinness Pro14 and Europe this season and the New Zealander said: “We had about 15 players involved with Wales in the autumn series, and John Barclay involved with Scotland.
So, the way we are going at the moment, I would expect something similar.”
Two players who could enjoy a breakthrough tournament are Rhys Patchell and James Davies, both of whom could benefit from injury doubts over rivals for their position.
“Rhys Patchell and James Davies are both playing well and have put runs on the board,” added Pivac.
“Rhys’s ability to play full-back as well as at No.10 will undoubtedly help him.
“We are hopeful they will get the recognition they deserve, but you have some very experienced coaches there with Wales and they will select the players they think can do the job at this moment in time.”
Pivac expects North to make a decision on his future very shortly, with the Ospreys and Dragons also both keen to add him to their squads.
“I caught up with George last week and I had about 45 minutes with him last week. It was a good conversation. He’s very keen to come back to Wales and get his game back on track, get over his injuries, and look forward to playing rugby.
“We’ve had the catch up and it was very, very good. George is a top guy and he’s only 25 years of age. He’s got a lot of rugby ahead of him and he wants to make a decision sooner rather than later.
“I just spoke to him as the coach of his old club and told him about our environment and what we’re trying to do here. I explained my comments to him that I made in the media and it was a good catch up.”
PIvac believes North would be excited at fitting into the current Scarlets line-up and playing style and has pointed to the returns made by Jonathan Davies and Leigh halfpenny as evidence of what they can offer.
“It’s a no brainer, you only have to look at what happened to Foxy when he came back. Leigh is going through the process at the moment and I’m sure George would be the same. Anyone who plays the game at that level and with the way we play the game… as an outside back who wouldn’t want to be there? I think that’s enough said on that.
“I can’t speak on behalf of George but there was an agent who rang me about three high profile players and I think that was a result of the weekend.
“They were looking at France, and now maybe they’re looking at the PRO14. I think the style of play encourages some people with aspirations of playing at a high level.”
