Shock Exit For Welsh Rugby Coach
Mike Ruddock has stepped down as Wales coach because of personal reasons, less than a year after leading them to their first Grand Slam in 27 years.
Ruddock, 46, wanted to see out his current contract until the end of the RBS Six Nations campaign.
But Welsh Rugby Union chief Steve Lewis said that skills coach Scott Johnson will take over with immediate effect.
“This has been a tough decision to make but I have decided to put my family first,” said Ruddock in a statement.
“The intense build-up to the World Cup means more time away from my family. That is something I’d like to avoid.”
“I have found during my two years as coach that the position is more than a job. That has meant I have spent long periods away from my family.”
There have been suggestions that Ruddock - described by ex-Wales fly-half Jonathan Davies as “a proud and honest man” - was eased out by player power, and also that he had fallen out the the Welsh Rugby Union over contract talks.
