RUGBY:PAT HOWARD, one of the frontrunners to succeed Eddie O'Sullivan as Irish coach, can be virtually removed from the running. Four separate sources in Ireland and Australia have said the likeable and well respected former Wallabies centre and Leicester coach has ruled himself out of the equation. At the very least he will need a lot of persuasion.

One of the sources even suggests Howard was sounded out informally by the IRFU as long ago as last week, but in any event, even though Howard is leaving his position as high-performance-unit manager with the Australian Rugby Union at the end of the month, he is set to take up a new job with Cromwells, a Brisbane-based property company, on April 1st.

With four children under five, he and his wife, Bess, are not keen to uproot their young family again, Howard having bowed out of coaching in the Northern Hemisphere, with Leicester, at the end of last season.

He is set to leave the ARU after the newly-installed Kevin Rudd government withdrew a proposed funding for the union of 25 million Australian dollars, part of which was earmarked for new offices in Brisbane. Howard has been commuting between his Brisbane home and Sydney.

Howard's family is steeped in rugby. His father, Jake, forwards coach to the Australian World Cup winners of 1991, coached Wanderers for three years. Pat also played there and was rumoured to have been sounded out by the IRFU in late 2005.

At Leicester he had eight Irish players in his ranks at one time and remains the only coach to have masterminded an away Heineken European Cup win at Thomond Park en route to taking Leicester within one game of an unprecedented treble last season.

He was warmly touted by the Ireland and Wasps scrumhalf Eoin Reddan as recently as Thursday, but he has said that, as of now, he is a non-runner.

A Western Force spokesperson has also ruled out the possibility of John Mitchell being a contender for the vacancy. Mitchell played with Garryowen for three years and briefly coached the Ireland forwards under Murray Kidd before going on to coach Sale and assist Clive Woodward with England, subsequently becoming All Blacks coach and latterly coach at Western Force. An outstanding coach, he has recently signed a new deal with the Force to keep him there until 2010, and he also has a young family in Perth.

Against that, he is reputedly keen to coach at international level again one day, and with New Zealand, Australia and South Africa closed off indefinitely, the Irish job might appeal to him.

Another unlikely runner high in the bookies' reckoning is Wayne Smith. The former All Blacks and Northampton head coach recently signed a two-year deal with New Zealand as one of Graham Henry's assistants along with Steve Hansen.

Given the carrot of continuing there until New Zealand host the 2011 World Cup, it is felt not only that the three coaches and close friends would like to see it through until then but also that none of them would break up the relationship beforehand. And New Zealand sources confirm the view that Smith realises he is better suited to a role as technical, specialist assistant rather than head coach.

By contrast, the former Munster coach Alan Gaffney has openly thrown his hat into the ring, revealing part of his agreement to return to Leinster as technical adviser was that he be allowed talk with the IRFU should they earmark him for the job.

"If they (Ireland) considered me for the job it would be an honour. The agreement I have with Leinster is that should anything come up with the national team they would not stand in my way. I have a definite interest in the job, for certain. And that applies to any role within that set-up."

Similarly, though stating he is contracted to Worcester for two more years, the former Leinster and Wales coach Mike Ruddock has scarcely disguised his interest.

In contrast again, the outstanding home-based candidate, Declan Kidney, has declined to comment about the vacancy, though there is little doubt he would jump at the chance if asked.

Meanwhile, it is believed Donncha O'Callaghan's new deal with Munster and Ireland, thought to have been completed by his agent Ian O'Leary since the conclusion of the Six Nations, will be confirmed imminently, the lock having resisted a serious offer from Gloucester and overtures from Stade Français.

Similarly Marcus Horan, who is also represented by O'Leary, is set to agree a new deal with the IRFU as well as Munster.