"Sir Clive would have been welcome to watch Wales training even if he had remained England coach, but only after we played them in the Six Nations championship," joked Ruddock to the South Wales Echo.

"Seriously, we will do everything we can to accommodate him and the Lions. Sir Clive is an inspiration to all northern hemisphere coaches. What he achieved with England was phenomenal.

"At the moment it looks like Sir Clive will be spending a week with us before the New Zealand game."

It will certainly add a little frisson to the proceedings as Sir Clive would be taking on his opponents of next summer by proxy.