Former Wales defence coach Byron Hayward is returning to international rugby and his first opponents will be none other than Wales.
The 52-year-old has linked up with Canada as a technical adviser ahead of this this Saturday's showdown with Wayne Pivac’s Six Nations champions at the Principality Stadium.
Pivac said it was mutually decided after Wales' autumn campaign that the best way forward was for Hayward to step down, with Gethin Jenkins taking over the defensive responsibilities.
Read more: The Wales team to play Canada is being announced live here today.
Hayward will be joining his long-time friend and former team-mate Kingsley Jones on the Canadian coaching staff for their Tests against Wales and England, with Rob Howley already on board as an assistant coach.
"This is something I probably would not have considered four months ago," he told the Rugby Paper.
"I took time away from the rugby scene to reflect.
"I didn’t watch any rugby during the Six Nations, but now I feel completely refreshed and ready for the challenge.
"I’m really looking forward to working with the Canadian players and getting stuck into the job.
"It’s an amazing coincidence that my first game back happens to be against Wales."
Jones said: "It’s great to have someone of Byron’s calibre as a technical adviser.
"It’s a perfect fit which allows me to step back and be a proper head coach.
"It’s also an opportunity for him to get back on the horse.
"His departure from the Welsh set-up was upsetting all round, as it would be for anyone losing their job like that, especially in the goldfish bowl of Wales.
"This is also a chance for him to work with someone he knows. We’ve known each other since we were kids."
Jones has brought 33 players over to the UK for the two-match trip, with the squad based in the Bristol suburb of Clifton.
The game against Wales will be Canada’s first Test since a 66-7 loss to eventual champions South Africa in October 2019 at the World Cup in Japan.
