WHEN the day arrives that Graham Henry parts company with the WRU and the quest for his successor begins, the solution might well be found up at Ebbw Vale. With a CV that includes such big names as Swansea and Leinster, former Whites flanker Mike Ruddock has travelled around a bit in a coaching career that has taken him around Wales and Ireland. RYLAND JAMES reports.

Having earned just as much respect off the field as he did for his hard tackling on the pitch, Ruddock has coached at all levels of rugby from Celtic League leaders Leinster to Gwent's Blaina, taking in Cross Keys on route before he arrived at Ebbw Vale.

Having joined the set-up for the national side this season, Ruddock is the Wales 'A' coach and he took a debriefing session in Cardiff after Tuesday night's defeat to Argentina.

His side face Tonga at Stradey Park next Tuesday night, before facing Uruguay at Cardiff's Arms Park ground on Saturday, November 24, and Ruddock has brought in the debriefing sessions, so the players involved can get feed-back on their performance.

He said: "In the past players have drifted away from Wales A matches and were either phoned up to be reselected or left to wonder where they went wrong.

"I felt that was unsatisfactory, so I brought in the sessions this season to get the boys together and highlight things in their performance."

While Wales A lost 30-14 to a lively Pumas side, Ruddock pointed out that for his players stepping into international rugby after playing in the European Cup was tough.

He said: "Everyone was disappointed that we didn't perform, but it was very difficult for the boys following on from their Heineken Cup games at the weekend, then playing in the A game after just one training session."

Ruddock combines his job as head coach of Ebbw Vale with his Wales A duties and, with his family home in Swansea, he is clearly enjoying the challenges coaching brings.

As a former back-row forward, Ruddock played for Swansea and Wales B (in the days before it was fashionable to call it the A team) before an injury prematurely ended his career at the age of 26, when he fractured his skull and vertebrae in a work accident.

Switching to coaching, he was in charge at St Helens, where he coached his former club from 1991 to 1997, which included a string of league and cup titles, before he coached Bective Rangers, and then Leinster.

Ruddock helped build-up Leinster and bolstered their number of full-time players from just four to a much more realistic 28.

With the Irish province ripping through Welsh sides in both the Celtic League and European Cup, it is clear for all to see the basis of the team Ruddock has built which coach Mark Williams has honed into a fine side.

One of Ruddock's biggest success as a coach was to take Leinster to success in the Inter-Provincial Championships and similar success for Ebbw Vale is clearly top of his agenda.

Indeed it was Ruddock who brought a certain Brian O'Driscoll into the Leinster set-up and no fewer than 12 players progress from the province to make their full debuts for Ireland.

Now 42, Ruddock is looking to rebuild the Ebbw Vale side and build on last season when the Steelmen reached the Principality Cup semi-final.

With use of the running track at Aberdare and with good training facilities at Eugene Cross Park, Ruddock says it will take at least two seasons to get Ebbw Vale to the stage he wants them to be at.

But for two injury time penalties, Ebbw Vale would have secured a valuable away win over French team Montauban in the European Shield last Saturday after they beat the French side at Eugene Cross Park.

With Rovigo to be played away in January, before dangerous French side Agen come to Vale, Ruddock is confident his team can pick up the necessary points to progress in the competition.

He said: "I'm pleased with the progress we are making at Ebbw Vale, things have been going well, we won four games on the trot and were leading 15-13 out in France with 80 minutes played.

"We even got a standing ovation from the French in the meal afterwards, because they were so impressed with our performance."

With rugby coaching having taken a much more scientific approach from the days in the 1970s when a training session was five laps round the pitch, Ruddock has got to grips with rugby's new era.

With analysis of the opposition now an important part of match preparation, Ruddock says he enjoys getting so involved, but knows success is not easily come by.

"People don't understand at the moment that to be the best domestically or internationally, it takes at least two years to put a successful side together and we are working hard to get the Ebbw Vale players in condition."

With tailor made programmes for each of the Steelmen, Ruddock said his team's skills are constantly monitored and rated with plenty of one-to-one coaching.

He said: "I think the Irish players are ahead of the Welsh players in terms of strength and fitness and that showed in some huge performances in Ireland's recent win."

With his career cut short at an age when most top players in the Principality are looking to break into the Wales team, the question had to asked, so does he miss playing?

He said: "It was tough in the early days, but thankfully I have been involved in coaching for 15 years now and I'm still enjoying it."