THE storm clouds are gathering over Welsh rugby in the wake of the shock removal of Grand Slam winning coach Mike Ruddock less than halfway through the current Six Nations Championship.

Many clubs are furious at the handling of the Ruddock issue by Welsh Rugby Union chiefs and they are demanding answers, unhappy with the party line that Ruddock quit for family reasons.

The Argus understand that unhappy rank and file clubs, some from Gwent, are already discussing the possibility of calling an extraordinary meeting of all the 245 clubs.

Only ten signatures are needed, and notice of an emergency meeting could be tendered even before Wales face Ireland in Dublin a week on Sunday.

Right in the firing line are Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Steve Lewis and WRU chairman David Pickering, who, along with Ruddock's temporary successor Scott Johnson, fronted Tuesday's hastily arranged Press conference at the unlikely time of 9pm.

That was held to inform the media of the shock developments before they leaked out.

Lewis explained then, though it was only yesterday that most of the media caught up with it, that Ruddock's term would end immediately in line with normal business practice rather than after the Six Nations when he wanted to go.

Developments still angered and bewildered rugby clubs and their members throughout Wales, never mind the general public, none of whom could understand why a man who had taken Wales to their first Grand Slam for 27 years last season could quit so soon afterwards.

Now there could be a backlash. Clubs are demanding to know the real reasons for Ruddock's shock departure when it was expected he would lead Wales at least until the end of next year's World Cup.

Clubs were already threatening to call an extraordinary meeting of the WRU before Ruddock's resignation.

They are dismayed there has been no replacement of David Moffett as group chief executive, contrary to the WRU constitution, while there is also widespread disquiet over the naming of some clubs for selling international match tickets on the internet when they claim they acted innocently.

Ruddock, meanwhile, is still employed by the WRU. He had no contract, but he will be paid until the end of the Six Nations for that is when his actual agreement with the WRU runs out.

A contract taking him beyond that had still not been signed, one of the reason's for this week's decision, though player unrest remains the main cause of his decision to go.

Lewis and Pickering hope Johnson will postpone his decision to return home to Australia at the end of the Six Nations for at least a year, so he will be available for the World Cup.

A WRU spokesperson insists there is no panic and there are no plans to interview possible candidates because they still hope Johnson will stay.

Already one candidate, Gareth Jenkins, the respected Llanelli Scarlets coach, has said he would like to take the job on, but feels he can't work with the current WRU people in charge.

There is one precedent for a short term coach being in charge.

Alan Davies was dismissed almost on the eve of departure for the 1995 World Cup in South Africa and Australian Alex Evans filled the breach on a temporary basis when his assistant was... Mike Ruddock.