The Cardiff Blues winger, who made two RBS 6 Nations appearances this year, had a stop-start campaign but is seen as a key figure in Gatland’s plans.

And Gatland appears ready to take a gamble on Halfpenny, who can also play at full-back, even if he sat out their warm-up matches later this summer.

“Leigh is making good progress but he’s still going to be touch and go whether he gets selected for the World Cup squad,” said Gatland, who is also set to leave fellow wingers Morgan Stoddart and Shane Williams at home this weekend.

“We just think he’s such a quality player that if he is fit he’s probably a player we may select without too much rugby.

“You might make one allowance for a player of his quality and giving us depth in that position.

“Those are things we will discuss over the couple of months and just keep assessing the progress of someone like Leigh.”