When rumours emerged last month of a former rugby league international from Wigan potentially taking charge of Wales' defence most people would have secretly hoped for the return of Shaun Edwards.
After all, Edwards was the galvanising force behind the unprecedented success of the first Warren Gatland era, turning Wales into arguably the best defensive side in world rugby.
While many Welsh fans still yearn for Edwards' return they wouldn't have been disappointed when analysing the track record of Wales' new defence guru Mike Forshaw.
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Edwards and Forshaw have much in common, having both been born in Wigan while they also played together for the club when they lifted the World Club Challenge in 1991.
"I had a few texts with Shaun when it was announced I was coming into this position," said Forshaw.
"On the 23rd of January which was my first day here I did a bit of an icebreaker and did three slides. One of them was a picture of me and Shaun playing together and I said to the lads that 'if I have half the impact this fella did then I’ll be doing all right'.
"I think that answers your question. I know him very well but we haven’t really done much tactical work.
"I’m my own man and believe in what I do myself. I’ve got a lot of respect for Shaun.
"He’s a good friend and we go back a long way. I’ve brought my own ideas which is the right thing to do.
"It’s a new era now."
Forshaw has arrived in Wales with a reputation as one of the best defence coaches in the English game with Sale Sharks having conceded the fewest number of tries in the Gallagher Premiership at the point of the season he left.
But by his own admission last Saturday wasn't the best of starts to his Wales career as they suffered a crushing home Six Nations defeat to Ireland. In truth the intensity and defensive ferociousness of the Edwards era was long gone before Forshaw even turned up but the first half at the Principality Stadium was a horror show from a Welsh perspective.
Wales found themselves 27-3 down at the interval mainly because of their passiveness in defence and a lack of discipline.
But Forshaw is confident Wales can turn it around under Gatland who are under pressure to get back on track against an impressive Scotland outfit at Murrayfield on Saturday.
"It’s always disappointing to lose a Test match, I’ve been there, but you have got to move on pretty quick in this tournament - that is one thing I do understand," he said.
"We can’t kick stones. We have to get enthused pretty quick and I thought for this morning’s practices there was some decent energy there, because selection is up there on Thursday so people get a chance to maybe stamp their authority on this Six Nations.
"It's been a baptism of fire, the job came pretty left-field to be honest. I’ve really enjoyed my first three weeks, I really have.
"I’m not too despondent because we lost the first game, I didn’t expect fairytale starts anyway, because that’s where I’m from and I’ll just graft and graft until we can really challenge in that area."
Forshaw has also trodden a similar path to Gatland having began his rugby union career in Connacht before making his name in the English Premiership with Sale.
The 53-year-old is also a former team-mate and a good friend of Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, who was Gatland's defence coach during the 2013 and 2017 British & Irish Lions tours.
"I’ve just turned 53 and I thought that if there is ever going to be a job available in international rugby this is probably the one I would love to have been offered," he said.
"That sounds a bit corny but it’s not. There has obviously been a lot of transition from the autumn with a lot of changes, and then obviously with Warren, I just thought it was too good an opportunity – a World cup coming up, I’d been at Sale 10 years, I think hopefully they will go on and win the Premiership this year to be fair.
"I spoke to my wife, I spoke to people like Shaun, Andy Farrell, and the fit was right. I had never met Warren Gatland but our paths were a bit similar like a sixth sense.
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"I had an hour on the phone with him just after New Year’s Day. I worked in Galway at Connacht Rugby for three years, he had worked there earlier, I have a lot of good friends in Galway who are Warren’s friends, and he had Shaun Edwards who was at Wigan, he had Craig White and Bobby Stridgeon.
"The fit just seemed really good. At the moment I think it has been a great move for me to be quite honest.
"I am really enjoying it."
Much of the criticism of this Wales squad has centred around its age profile with a large number of players over 30.
Forshaw accepts this but doesn't think it will be a problem come the World Cup, and is confident the likes of Joe Hawkins, Keiran Williams, Mason Grady, and Dafydd Jenkins will progress.
"I’ve probably got to sit on the fence with that one a bit," said Forshaw when asked if the older age profile of the squad was a problem.
"There are obviously some players who have got a lot of caps but there are some young players who I’ve been really been impressed with.
"The two lads at Exeter, Dafydd (Jenkins) and Christ (Tshiunza), you’ve got Teddy (Williams) a young lad, Rhys - there are some great young back fives knocking about.
"In a World Cup year when you have more time together and become like a club team there will be massive transference in that area, to blend together that wealth of experience and those young players coming through."
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