Niall O'Donovan, the out-going Ireland forwards coach, is set to put his name forward as a candidate to join Frank Hadden's Scotland management team.

With a vacancy having been left at Murrayfield following the sacking of George Graham after the Six Nations Championship, the 48-year-old would be a highly credible candidate.

His time with Ireland ended in June following their summer tour of the antipodes. Declan Kidney, Ireland's incoming head coach, has appointed Gert Small, the former South Africa assistant coach and manager, to his back-room team, but O'Donovan has indicated he is looking to continue coaching at the highest level and has instructed his agent to send his CV to "suitable" places, including provinces and clubs in France, Italy, England and Wales, as well as Scotland.

Having spent seven years with Ireland under Eddie O'Sullivan ahead of Kidney's appointment, he was previously assistant coach at Munster.

There is little chance of Hadden making any quick decision, however. He has just returned from the holiday he took immediately after the Test win over Argentina which secured his future as head coach, while his assistants on that tour, Sean Lineen and Andy Robinson, are both still on vacation.

It is the SRU's stated policy to conduct a full review of any major international campaign before making firm decisions on the way forward. Both Lineen and Robinson have made it clear that their priorities are to remain in their current jobs as head coaches of Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh respectively, but their input into that review will be vital.

Their appointments for the Argentina trip were clearly an emergency measure after the decision was made to relieve Graham of his Scotland duties.

It then became even more clear that a major overhaul of the national team management would be required when Alan Tait subsequently announced that the tour would be his last involvement with Scotland for the time being as he joins the coaching staff at Newcastle Falcons.