NO-ONE can accuse Wales coach Warren Gatland of lacking boldness when it comes to picking the squad for the Six Nations Championship.

It's a case of out with the old and in with the new as he seeks to lift the nation on the back of a disastrous Heineken Cup campaign, with no Welsh representation in the quarter-finals for the first time for five years.

There's no room for sentiment as Martyn Williams is ditched just two short of his century of caps while Gatland has freshened things up by including five uncapped players - Rhys Priestland, Scott Andrews, Ryan Bevington, Toby Faletau and Josh Turnbull.

There is also a recall for Morgan Stoddart for the first time for two years while Huw Bennett and Dan Biggar are casualties alongside Williams, though Dwayne Peel is brought back at 29 hoping to add to his 74 caps.

But it is the injection of some youthful exuberance and vigour which provides a touch of excitement to lift the doom and gloom which has descended with the England game now only 10 days away.

In the case of Andrews and Bevington it's needs must with top line pair Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones both ruled out by injury.

And by indicating he is considering Ryan Jones more as a lock at the moment - Jonathan Thomas can also play there - Gatland frees up back row places for the likes of Faletau and Turnbull alongside other youthful pair Dan Lydiate and Sam Warburton.

The coach clearly wants everyone fully fit and raring to go without spending time in the next few days nursing players through tough training sessions carrying an injury or two.

It also accounts for his decision to limit the squad to just 28 players as he copies the plan of three years ago when a similarly small and tight knit squad contributed to Wales winning the Grand Slam in his first season in charge.

Then, of course, he had Jones and Jenkins available while others like Mike Phillips, Stephen Jones and a certain Gavin Henson made major contributions on the road to glory.

It's going to be far more difficult this time, and the pressure will be enormous going into the England game at the Millennium Stadium on a Friday night.

Not only is it the old enemy first up - and they are still the team every Welshman wants to beat - but this time it's on the back of that awful showing in the Heineken Cup, with not one Welsh side even qualifying for the last eight of the Amlin Challenge competition.

Fail in the Six Nations opener and it will be uphill all the way especially as this is the season when Wales face three away games - against Scotland, then Italy and finally France.

Even though they don't always give European competition their fullest concentration - the league is all important across the channel - France provides no fewer than four sides in the last eight of the Heineken (Perpignan, Biarritz, Toulon and Toulouse) and another five in the quarter-finals of the Amlin (Stade Francais, Brive, La Rochelle, Clermont Auvergne and Montpellier).

That has to be a reflection of the huge money that is on offer there, and is shortly going to be the destination for James Hook who announces in North Wales of all places tomorrow his new club, expected to be Perpignan.

Lee Byrne could follow suit, with Clermont believed to be favourites to sign him up while there is even a possibility of Mike Phillips being shown the exit door at the Ospreys though Shane Williams has said he wants to end his career where he is.

Coming on top of the Blues deciding to release Martyn Williams and Tom Shanklin it doesn't exactly hinder the pessimism in Wales at the moment if one player after another is departing the scene for whatever reason.

It also drives a horse and cart through the WRU's policy of encouraging all their leading players to remain in Wales or even insisting they do if they want to enhance their international prospects.

Gatland isn't under real pressure because he has signed a contract up to the next World Cup in 20015, but he's not the type to take anything for granted.

The pressure he will come under will be from within, he will expect to improve on two fourth placed finishes in the Six Nations and end the barren spell of seven games without a win or just two wins in the last 13.

And if he doesn't lead Wales into at least a quarter-final place in this year's World Cup he says he expects to be sacked. Now there's an example to set!