Wales Women coaches Chris Horsman, Geraint Lewis and Gareth Wyatt set out to use the five-match autumn series to develop strength in depth and improve performance standards on and off the field.
And it has certainly paid off.
Fourteen players have made their Wales debut this month, including three – Paige Randall, Megan Webb and Robyn Lock who have earned places in the starting line-up for Saturday’s clash with the Barbarians at the Principality Stadium (11.45am) and four more – Molly Kelly, Gwenllian Jenkins, Abbie Fleming and Kayleigh Powell – who take up places on the bench.
The chosen side for this week sees two changes made from their previous Test against Scotland a fortnight ago, a 17-3 win, while Wales also beat invitational side Crawshays last week.
Paige Randall comes in for Cardiff Blues team-mate Rebekah O'Loughlin on the wing, while scrum-half Keira Bevan gets the nod over Niamh Terry.
Horsman said: “The autumn has already been successful in terms of what we set out to do. We’ve exposed a host of players to international rugby and they have grabbed the opportunity with both hands. We’ve created strength in depth in all positions ahead of the Six Nations.
“We’ve made big demands on the girls as players, athletes and individuals over the last six weeks in order to drive performance standards and selection for this game is a huge reward for what we’ve asked of them.
“The profile of the occasion and the increased competition for places within the squad certainly made this the hardest selection meeting so far and every player in the squad has played her part in the journey but we believe this is the best equipped team to go out and make history at Principality Stadium on Saturday.
“We understand the historical significance of playing the Barbarians and it’s important to be part of big occasions like this to help our continued development as a squad but the biggest message I’ll be giving to the players will be to go out, do yourselves proud, but most of all, enjoy the experience.”
Wales captain Siwan Lillicrap is hoping for just that, as well as bidding to put on a performance to show what they're all about.
“It’s a real reward for us all to be part of this occasion and we want to show Wales and the rest of the world what we’re all about. What better way to show that than at Principality Stadium against a tough Barbarians’ side. We hope the crowd will come in early to get behind what we’re trying to do and enjoy a performance that will encourage them to come and watch us again.
“We want to represent Wales positively and as an international women’s programme, we’ve seen a real step change this autumn. We’ve been integrated into the performance department and therefore benefitted from additional support in areas such as strength and conditioning, medical, sports psychology and coaching and while there is more demanded of us in terms of performance standards, we see that as a positive thing.
“It’s exactly what we want as international players. We are being treated on a more equal footing and I think you can already see the results of that. We’re being pushed but if that means achieving our dreams, there are no arguments from us.
“We’re not going to stop here – if we keep up this momentum there’s no stopping this team."
The captaincy has been rotated during this campaign for the women's side.
As for the Barbarians - being coached by former Wales forward Rachel Taylor - Welsh star Dyddgu Hywel has been tempted out of retirement to play against her home nation, while Black Ferns 2010 Rugby World Cup winner Steph Te Ohaere-Fox and 2017 winner Eloise Blackwell bring big-game experience.
Blackwell is the most capped player with 43 appearances for New Zealand, with Ireland’s Paula Fitzpatrick behind her on 41.
Meanwhile, uncapped Beth Stafford (Firwood Waterloo) and Tess Gard’ner (Ponsonby & Auckland) are amongst the stars making names for themselves at their clubs.
Wales: Lauren Smyth; Paige Randall, Megan Webb, Kerin Lake, Lisa Neumann; Elinor Snowsill, Keira Bevan; Gwenllian Pyrs, Kelsey Jones, Cerys Hale, Natalia John, Gwen Crabb, Robyn Lock, Bethan Lewis, Siwan Lillicrap (capt).
Replacements: Molly Kelly, Gwenllian Jenkins, Amy Evans, Abbie Fleming, Alex Callender, Ffion Lewis, Robyn Wilkins, Kayleigh Powell.
Barbarians: Tess Gard’ner; Lauren Harris, Ariana Hira, Jenny Murphy, Dyddgu Hywel; Ruahaei Demant, Brianna Miller; Steph Te Ohaere-Fox (capt), Clara Nelson, Silvia Turani, Eloise Blackwell, Rebecca Clough, Paula Fitzpatrick, Anna Caplice, Charmaine McMenamin.
Replacements: Sasha Acheson, Saki Minami, Seina Saito, Beth Stafford, Alycia Washington, Ashlee Byrge, Sene Naoupu, Annabel Sergeant.
