Lee Byrne’s appointment at the South Wales Ironmen represents another attempt by rugby league to gain a foothold in the country.
The former Wales full-back – who dabbled in rugby league as a youngster – will be named as the rebranded Ironmen’s new director of rugby on Tuesday.
It will be a change of course for the 36-year-old who was forced to retire 18 months ago after spending six months battling to overcome a shoulder injury at the Newport Gwent Dragons.
But it will be well trodden ground for the sport that has tried – and mostly failed – to establish a lasting high profile presence in Wales to build on the undoubted pockets of interest in the 13-man code.
The Ironmen are a rebrand. They are currently known as the South Wales Scorpions and play at Virginia Park in Caerphilly, but as part of the Stan Thomas-funded renaissance at Merthyr, they will be known as the Ironmen and play at Wern Sports Park, along with the upwardly mobile rugby union side who are now in the Welsh Premiership.
Byrne’s presence will give them profile and credibility, in much the same way as that provided by Iestyn Harris when he was head coach of the ill-fated Crusaders
That venture began life in Bridgend, before moving north to Wrexham where Harris coached them in three seasons in Super League between 2009 and 2011.
Like the Crusaders, the Ironmen will be reliant on some Australian imports, but they will be operating in the third tier of the sport – the Kingstone Press League – from next year.
Whether they receive more backing and long-term commitment from the RFL than the Crusaders did remains to be seen.
At least Byrne will provide much-needed recognition thanks to his hugely successful rugby union career.
Once described in 2009 as the best full-back in world rugby by no less a judge than JPR Williams, Bryne won a Grand Slam with Wales in 2008 and was a Test Lion in South Africa a year later.
He was a Pro 12 title winner with the Ospreys and also one of the more successful exports to French rugby, where he reached the final of the European Champions Cup with Clermont Auvergne.
