The naming of Andy Farrell as Ireland defence coach on Wednesday caused much bemusement.
A large part of this may have been down to nobody knowing about it. Even the players, who had been in attendance at an Ireland training camp during the week, were completely unaware regading his imminent appointment.
In the autumn, there was a rumour about Shaun Edwards being a candidate for the role.
Farrell - not a tap of a keyboard.
The leftover bemusement can be attributed to the selection of someone whom it could be viewed was thrown on the scapheap by England.
Farrell was released by England upon the announcement of Eddie Jones as new head coach. However, this may simply have been down to Jones desiring a completely fresh start rather than him not rating the former rugby league player.
In his Irish Independent column today, Alan Quinlan addresses the appointment of Farrell, relating a conversation he had with former England international Will Greenwood about the man who will replace Les Kiss.
Greenwood believes that attaining the services of Farrell is a 'coup' for Ireland.
A brilliant analyst, passionate about his job. Superb motivator. And, do you know what? He's fun, too. He gets on well with the players. The Irish guys will love him. They'll want to play for him.
The issue for me isn't whether it's a good move for Ireland. Course it is. He's world-class. No, my query isn't why Ireland are taking him but why England are letting him go? Why aren't the RFU using him in a developmental role? Make no mistake, this is a coup for Ireland.
Reaction from players, both current and former, has been mostly positive. Though from current players, that's no doubt to be expected.
Quinlan also tells of Paul O'Connell's positive take on the incoming Farrell, a 'smart move' by Joe Schmidt. O'Connell would have worked with Farrell as part of the 2013 Lions tour to Australia.
Read: BOD's Preparation Before Challenging Joe Schmidt Is A Small Bit Terrifying
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Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE
