Among the recriminations of a seven-try hammering in France and a busy opening weekend of Six Nations action, a golden opportunity has presented itself to Welsh rugby. Former England head coach Stuart Lancaster is now on the market after leaving Racing 92 on Sunday. How convenient. It just so happens that the Welsh Rugby Union is actively looking for a new director of rugby as chief executive Abi Tierney plots a route forward from the organisation’s current sporting struggles. Who knows, Tierney might soon be looking for a new Wales head coach too.

If Warren Gatland’s side lose their round two Six Nations clash with Italy in Rome on Saturday, then a second straight Championship wooden spoon is on the cards. Such a scenario would take Wales’ winless run to 17 matches across 18 months and make Gatland’s position untenable. Whatever happens at the Stadio Olimpico this weekend and in the coming weeks, the WRU must at the very least sound out Lancaster to gauge his interest in helping revitalise Welsh rugby.

Stuart Lancaster is the man Wales should turn to after he left Racing 92 at the weekend. Lancaster is a proven winner, having taken Leinster to European Champions Cup glory in 2018. The 55-year-old would be perfectly suited to the director of rugby role and could also be an excellent appointment as head coach, if Gatland were to depart. Lancaster and Racing didn’t work. The language barrier didn’t help.

And while England’s failure to qualify for the knockout stages of their own World Cup in 2015 under his guidance will always follow Lancaster around, there is no doubt he is not only a fine coach, but an engaging person too who is capable of unifying those around him. He was in charge of England between 2011 and 2015, so has international coaching pedigree, and his 61 per cent win rate ranks sixth in the country's history, out of 17 head coaches.

Before stepping up to English rugby’s top job, he also worked with the RFU as their head of elite player development. So Lancaster is good at succession planning and this is what Wales need right now. Welsh rugby’s pathway systems are in trouble. There is a dearth of talent being produced. Last weekend, a day after Gatland’s senior side shipped 43 points to France in Paris, the country’s Under 20s side were also beaten heavily by Les Bleus in Vannes, 63-19.

It prompted outspoken former Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips to describe the weekend’s losses as a ‘joke.’. Lancaster will always struggle to escape the 2015 World Cup with England but he can be a breath of fresh air to Wales. Whoever comes in will have a huge job on their hands amid a 13-game losing run. To say there is a lot to do to turn Welsh rugby around is an understatement. But Lancaster’s well-rounded ability – not to mention his friendly and enthusiastic demeanour – would be a breath of fresh air to the organisation.

No one spends as long as Lancaster did at Leinster – and wins the European Champions Cup as well as four consecutive Pro14 titles – without being more than capable. Of course, there is a good chance Lancaster might not want the job. It would only be natural if he felt burnt by his Racing sacking. And he has already spent long periods away from his family home in the north of England without now relocating to Wales.

His salary demands might be unreachable too from the WRU’s perspective. But, as Tierney looks to the future, it would at the very least be worth picking up the phone to gauge Lancaster’s mood. The WRU have made some good appointments in the women’s game, with Belinda Moore now heading up that operation and Sean Lynn hired as head coach. Lancaster joining the men’s operation would be another step in the right direction.

DOUBLE BOOST FOR ITALY CLASH. Aaron Wainwright was forced off early on in Paris after a crunching blow to the face. More pressingly, Wales yesterday called up Taine Plumtree to their training camp in Nice to cover for their back-row injury concerns ahead of the Italy game. Key No 8 duo Taulupe Faletau (knee) and Aaron Wainwright (face) are still being assessed by Wales. But confirmation that Wainwright hasn’t suffered a cheekbone fracture and is not concussed is a positive indicator he will be fit to feature in Rome.