Amid all the moving and shaking between Andy Farrell's Lions sabbatical and the elevation of Simon Easterby to interim head coach, there’s a spot open for a defence coach with Ireland.
And Easterby, who will take over in the hot seat after the autumn internationals, hasn’t ruled out recruiting from outside the Irish system.
So until the ticket for the Six Nations and summer tour is confirmed it’s not too far-fetched to suggest that a certain double World Cup-winning coach would be in the mix.
Felix Jones handed in his notice as defence coach for the RFU last month and is understood to be in the process of negotiating his way out of the contract, which had a 12-month release clause.
England, understandably, may be reluctant to hand a prize asset over to the back-to-back Six Nations winners but nothing could be ruled out at this stage.
A former Ireland full-back, Jones, who had a spell with the Irish backroom team on their tour of Japan in 2017, left his role at Munster to join the Springboks ahead of the 2019 World Cup.
There was no danger of Easterby replying directly to a question that name-dropped Jones (below) as a potential addition but the 49-year-old also declined to rule out the possibility.
"It could be either [from inside or outside the IRFU]," he told reporters on Wednesday.
"There's no closed book on this, it's pretty open and it's exciting really.
"If we think there's a need for something and we're losing a big personality in Faz [Andy Farrell] and a lot of IP [intellectual property] in what he brings to the group - if it means someone comes from within the system or outside, that'll be a conversation we have with David Humphreys [IRFU high performance director].
"I think he's open-minded to whatever adds to the group and makes the group as strong as it can be with what you're saying around the continuity."
"[Adding a coach is] something that we have chatted about briefly.
"We will probably address it at the end of November after we have had a chance to work with Goody [attack coach Andrew Goodman] and address what he does but, yeah, it is certainly something we have had some conversations around."
The announcement that Easterby would take over as Farrell undertakes Lions duties came as no surprise on Tuesday.
The former Ireland flanker was in charge of the Emerging Ireland tour in 2022 and will take next month's tour to South Africa as well.
Easterby was head coach at Scarlets between 2012 and 2014 and says a lot has changed since those days.
"It feels like a long time ago, a lot has happened since then," he said.
"It’s a very different sort of setting, the one I’m entering into in a few months’ time compared to the one I left 11 or 12 years ago.
"I’m hugely excited and really looking forward to that progression and the next role. I think I’ve learned a huge amount over the last few years .
"I’ve been very fortunate to work with great people who built my knowledge and understanding and development, certainly in the time of working with Joe [Schmidt] and Faz."
Easterby added that while Farrell may be available to take calls, he envisages that he will be given a free hand for the seven or eight internationals.
"For me, I think Andy has a lot to get through in terms of the Lions," said Easterby.
"I'm sure he'd be on the end of a phone if needed, but as far as we're concerned, he's stepping away completely and he's leaving us to crack on and get on with it.
"He’s been fully involved in the progression and the continuity, and he will be right through until the end of November and, after that, I think his focus has to switch to a massive year for him in terms of preparing for that Lions tour to Australia."
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