Mike Ruddock may not be the best man to take over from O'Sullivan should the need arise . . . and on that thread, the incumbent may yet prove us all wrong in the coming weeks . . . but now at least there's a name out there that can be put in the same sentence as the Irish job and not seem out of place.

It's as unlikely a marriage as we could have imagined this time last week, even with Valentine's Day on the horizon. What's gone on in Wales over the past couple of days nobody's quite sure but no doubt the passing of time will shed light on events, as it inevitably does.

The speculation surrounding Ruddock's departure centres on an unsigned contract, a new chief executive desperate to make a mark and player unrest. The truth is probably a combination of all three factors although the latter reason, player dissatisfaction with the coach, is probably the one that would worry any Irish rugby supporters keen on making Ruddock an Irish contender.

The gossip from across the Irish Sea is that the Welsh squad had fallen out with Ruddock, mainly because he was not hands-on enough on the training pitch and that he wasn't much of an ideas man. Coming from a situation where many feel the Irish coach is too hands-on with how things are done in camp, and at the same time too in love with his own ideas about the game, Ruddock appears to be, on paper at least, the perfect antidote to the current Irish regime. He appears to be a facilitator rather than an authoritarian type figure, someone that could help streamline the many and various talents involved in the Irish set up.

He's still fondly remembered here for his spell in charge of Leinster between 1997 and 2000. "He's a humble man as well as an approachable and wonderful person to work with, " said Irish captain Brian O'Driscoll this week. "No one can question his coaching credentials.

I'd say he was up there with the best I have worked with.

The players and myself liked him as a person and as coach during his time at Leinster.

He was very knowledgeable yet open to input from the players which was well received. I'd put him in the old school class of coaching."

You can be certain Ruddock will put those comments on his CV in the coming weeks, particularly as they come from a player who was so scathing in his recent book of a number of the coaches he worked with at Leinster.

Another plus point on that particular piece of paper will be his record with Wales, not just the Grand Slam success of last season, but the fact that he was able to settle into the job in such a short space of time. Most coaches set out a timetable of at least a couple of years to leave their imprint on a job, but Ruddock had Wales playing winning rugby within a matter of months. With a World Cup on the horizon, time is not something any new international coach appointed between now and the start of the tournament will have on their side and that will increase Ruddock's worth on the open market.

He may not be the Irish solution, but at the very least he's an option.