Declan Kidney is believed to be considering an offer from Welsh side Gwent Dragons to take over from Mike Ruddock, though unsurprisingly, there remains no indication from the assistant Irish coach or his advisers as to what his next move will be.

Welsh sources maintain Kidney's arrival, on a two-year contract, is effectively a done deal after he attended Gwent's Celtic League win over the Cardiff Blues in Newport on Sunday, and met with the CEO David Jenkins and owner Tony Brown.

"Declan was a guest of ours for the Blues game," Jenkins confirmed. "He came down to run the rule over the set-up and he is obviously a coach of the highest calibre. We are looking at a head coach with his reputation working with a young up-and-coming coach."

It is believed the Dragons have Newport coach Leigh Jones in mind for that role. You'd have to wonder, though, if Kidney would opt for a familial move to Wales which would also embrace taking on a coaching job in an alien environment without his choice of back-up staff.

Furthermore, those who leave these shores, whether as players or coaches, tend not to be brought back into the fold.

Ruddock, who is believed to have enthusiastically endorsed Kidney's candidature to Brown and the Welsh RFU, will take up the Welsh job on May 1st, but whatever decision Kidney makes it is likely he will see out his contract as Irish assistant coach, thereby taking in the two-Test series in South Africa in June.

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan will be one of several personalities featuring in the Rugby Extravaganza hosted by Connacht Rugby on Saturday night at the Radisson SAS hotel, Galway, on the eve of the Parker Pen Challenge Cup semi-final second leg against Harlequins.

Former Ireland number eight Noel Mannion, Galway hurling legend Joe Connolly, and former Harlequins coach Dick Best will be among the panel of guests discussing the big match.

Tickets cost €20 from the Connacht Branch (091-561568), or online at connachtrugby.ie.