WALES' former Grand Slam-winning coach Mike Ruddock is expected to be unveiled as the new Worcester Warriors director of rugby tomorrow.

The club are holding a press conference in the morning to announce a successor to John Brain, who left the club today after six years at the helm.

Ruddock, who has been out of the professional game since standing down as head coach of Wales in mysterious circumstances 14 months ago, is the hot favourite to take over.

He led Wales to the Grand Slam in 2005 but departed halfway through the following year's Six Nations campaign and has since helped out at South Wales amateur side Mumbles, where he lives.

The 47-year-old will be familiar with at least one Worcester player, having handed prop Chris Horsman his first cap for Wales back in the autumn of 2005.

Like Brain, Ruddock is highly regarded as a forwards coach.

Ruddock has been linked with Saracens in the past but he was spotted among the crowd at Kingsholm when Worcester played Gloucester two months ago and the club are thought to have been lining him up for some time.

It is not clear yet whether Ruddock will be bringing his own back-room staff but former Wales defence coach Clive Griffiths has been linked with a role at Sixways.

Griffiths was Ruddock's right-hand man with the Welsh national team but has been working as director of rugby at National One side Doncaster, where he is 12 months into a three-year contract.

If Griffiths is brought into the fold, it would almost certainly end Worcester's association with Phil Larder, the former England defensive coach who has been working alongside Brain since November.

Larder was considered a key component in the club's revival in the second half of the season.