It has not taken long for Mike Ruddock to realise what life is like in one of the toughest jobs in world rugby though victory over the Barbarians has at least given him heart.
Having your every move scrutinised before the cameras amid one fresh crisis after another, the new Wales coach could well scoff at how easy life would be in the Big Brother house.
His tenure could not have got off to a more auspicious start given the furore surrounding his selection and the manner in which favourite Gareth Jenkins was passed over.
Added to that, Ruddock has already had to prepare for an ominous looking tour to Argentina and South Africa with the loss of 14 Test players and manage a significant proportion of his squad who are facing the prospect of unemployment given the imminent demise of one of the five Welsh regions – the Celtic Warriors.
Yet the former electrician, almost paralysed when he was knocked off a telegraph pole by a lorry when on the brink of playing for Wales, has learned to take such problems in his stride.
And the emphatic 42-0 victory over the Barbarians in his first game in charge this week was as big a confidence boost for him as it was for his players.
“We’re obviously very pleased with the way the game went, with the way we scored our tries and the fact that we shut-out the Barbarians, it was a great starter for ten,” said Ruddock.
“It has been a difficult week with everything going happening off the field but I have been happy with the way the players have bought into the changes I want to make and how they transferred that onto the field.
“But we’re under no illusions of the task ahead. Argentina will be a very different proposition, they will be a far better organised team, particularly up-front which is the area that I am looking to make the most changes.
“Wales has started building a reputation for the attacking style of game we saw in the World Cup and Six Nations, but I want us to bring a new aggression to our defence and set-piece play that will make us a hard team to beat.
“We laid down a marker against the Baa-Baas and helped build a winning culture, which is what we need to do in Wales because at the end of the day, that’s what international rugby is all about.”
