Ruddock can revive the ailing Ospreys

IT’S great to see Mike Ruddock back in Welsh rugby but there’s a big task ahead of him. Personally, I hope Mike stays longer than the month he’s been signed up for as a consultant but I guess we will just have to wait and see how he goes. I think Mike is the right man to get the Ospreys back on the right path. He’s a very shrewd operator and he demands high standards so I’m sure he will have identified areas of their rugby operation that need improving. I think he will make an instant impact and he is exactly what they need to get them back on track.

He’s the sort of bloke who injects confidence into the players. What Mike was really good at when he coached Wales to the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2005 was surrounding himself with quality coaches. The final say would always go to Mike but he trusted the coaches working underneath him and I think if he’s given the chance to stay longer then he will do the same for the Ospreys.

With attack coach Matt Sherratt leaving at the end of the season there are a lot of vacancies to be filled. I think my old coach Sean Holley would be an excellent choice to work alongside Mike. He’s a very good technical coach and he’s a great man-manager. But in the long-term I’d like to see the Ospreys consider young Welsh coaches such as Dwayne Peel and Jonathan Thomas.

Both are doing exceptionally well at Ulster and Bristol respectively and I’m sure Jonathan will make a success of his move back to Worcester. Much of Ospreys’ disappointing form is down to poor basic skills so they need to get back to those basics with a coach who specialises in that area.