Former Wales wing Mark Jones played alongside Easterby at Llanelli where they also began their coaching careers together.

"He was a good laugh off the pitch and always great company on the way to training or to games," said Jones, now head coach at Ospreys.

"But once he crossed that whitewash, he knew when it was time to switch on. He was very good at setting standards.

"Whenever he returned to Llanelli from being away with Ireland he was always ready to play the next week for the club. He never had to be asked, and that's actually quite rare. It marked him out as a real pro with a great work ethic."

The question remains whether Easterby would want the Wales job. Michael Cheika is understood to be keen and Franco Smith was eager to have his name included among the candidates while the WRU still believes the job is an enticing one.

"There's a lot to be positive about in Welsh rugby over the coming years and any coach might want to be part of that," said Jones.

"Simon is ambitious and I'm sure a top job would interest him, but I also think he's very happy in that Ireland environment at the moment."

On Saturday, Easterby will be intent on inflicting more misery on Welsh rugby. There are those who believe he could soon be part of the solution.