Warren Gatland is moving fast to assemble his coaching ticket ahead of the Six Nations next month, having already dispensed with two of Wayne Pivac's lieutenants, but there is a major hurdle hindering him in sorting out his team before facing Ireland on February 4.
Stephen Jones and Gethin Jenkins have vacated the attack and defence coach roles, with the latter seemingly set to be filled by either Paul Gustard or Steve Tandy. However, the attack position isn't so straightforward.
Rob Howley, who worked under Gatland for the duration of his first stint up until being sent home before the 2019 World Cup after breaching betting rules, had been the front-runner. When Jones, who replaced Howley in Japan four years ago at the last minute, departed, it seemed only a matter of time before Howley returned.
