To say Mike Forshaw has some big boots to fill would be an understatement.
When it was announced the Sale Sharks man would be joining Warren Gatland's backroom team as defence coach the initial reaction from most Welsh fans would have initially been Mike who?
But a quick scan at the 53-year-old's CV would have intrigued even the most ardent sceptic.
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A rugby league star with Wigan and Bradford, England and Great Britain international, and the mastermind behind the meanest defence in the Gallagher Premiership.
Sound familiar? Forshaw has walked a similar path to the top as a certain Shaun Edwards but can he be as successful as his fellow Wiganer?
One man who knows him better than most is Steve Diamond who worked with Forshaw for six years while he was in charge of Sale Sharks.
And Diamond has no doubt whatsoever his former right hand man can emulate Edwards' success at test level with Wales.
"I think it's a very good appointment," Diamond told Wales Online.
"It doesn't go too far away from what Warren Gatland had with Shaun Edwards. Both Mike and Shaun have a similar attitude and defence is all about attitude and passion.
"I think whatever Mike does he does with a tremendous passion and belief. He was an unbelievable rugby league player and he's had a really good learning curve in rugby union.
"He's not a new kid on the block, he's been doing the job for 10 years. It's thoroughly deserved and I think he'll be an asset to Wales.
"I'd expect him to dramatically improve Wales' defence and I think he can be a big success like Shaun was with Wales."
There is no doubt Edwards is one of the best technical coaches in world rugby but he is also a tremendous man manager who succeeded in instilling his own passion into his players while he also embraced the Welsh culture.
Diamond believes Forshaw is cut from the same cloth and will fit in well in Wales.
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"Mike has got that magnificent mining village humour which will go down well in South Wales," said Diamond.
"He's inclusive as a coach which is important. When I was at Sale we had many times when if things weren't clicking me and Forsh would sit down with the senior defensive leaders in our squad, and he'd hammer it out that this was the best way to do things.
"We'd walk out of the door united and he'd delivered his message. Being able to deliver your message is vitally important in coaching.
"You can have some great ideas but you need to be able to deliver it to the players, and Mike does that exceptionally well. The lads would always back him up when I was at Sale.
"He's a very very good communicator. He was a very integral cog in the work at Sale.
"He's a brilliant number two and that's not being disrespectful. His best attribute is he's a f*****g great bloke which does help.
"Holistically he's fun and he's got every emotion you can imagine which comes out in his delivery."
Edwards' defensive game plan evolved over the course of his 12 years with Wales but in the main it centred around the blitz defence with aim to prevent the attacking team gaining any ground by tackling them behind the gain-line and forcing interceptions and charged-down kicks.
Diamond insists Forshaw is very adaptable but will put a lot of emphasis on the breakdown.
"He's a multifaceted coach if I'm honest," he said.
"Whatever the main man wants him to do he can do because he is very malleable. He can deliver whatever the coaching group and the senior players think will work.
"He's a very detailed coach and he's very accurate. He does a lot of homework on the game, and is passionate.
"Sale are top of the defensive stats in the Premiership and have been for the past five or six years.
"It's understanding about what the referees will allow and what the opposition do at the tackle area. Then he'll build his defensive plan around those scenarios.
"It depends who you are playing against. If you are playing against sides who want quick ball they'll be wanting plenty of hit on the contact and a fight for it after that.
"That's where a lot of the former rugby league lads make a difference because they are so good at the contact area, and they are good at the post tackle sort of stuff."
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