When Newport Gwent Dragons appointed Chris Anderson as head coach their vice-president Tony Brown remarked that it would prove to be either inspired or one of the biggest blunders in the history of the Welsh game.
Four months later Anderson, a World Cup-winning rugby league coach with Australia whose interest in union had been only cursory, has won over most of the sceptics, although he confesses that there have been times when he thought about packing his bags and returning home.
Now, though, he also admits to a passion for scrums and a significant regard for a sport derided as being followed in Australia by "rah-rahs".
"It was always going to be difficult for me at the start," said Anderson, capped 15 times by the Kangaroos before becoming a player-coach with Halifax, then winning the Premiership in Australia with Canterbury and the NRL grand final and the world club championship with Melbourne. His career peaked in 2000, when Australia won the World Cup, but three years later he was out of a job, sacked by his country and his new club Cronulla.
Then came the move to Rodney Parade after Mike Ruddock had been promoted to coach Wales. "I may have spoken English but the language was different for the players," he said. "There was so much about union I did not understand and I struggled to get my message across at first."
The Dragons lost their first two pre-season friendlies, including one against a team of part-timers, and slumped to defeat in their opening Celtic League fixture at Cardiff.
Since then, however, they have reeled off five consecutive wins, including victories away to Glasgow and Ulster, but Anderson believes Saturday's home Heineken Cup tie against Newcastle will be a better indication of where they stand.
"I watch a lot of English rugby and relish the variety of styles. On the one hand, there is Wasps, a team which keeps the ball alive and attacks with intelligence, while on the other there is Bath, which relies on its big forwards. Newcastle will be a step up for us, and of course they have Jonny Wilkinson."
Anderson was in Britain with the Kangaroos in November when Wilkinson dropped the goal to wrest the World Cup from Australia. "I saw the game on television but I was wrapped up in my own problems and did not take much notice of it," he said. "If you had told me then what I would be doing in a year's time, I would not have believed it; no one would have."
His wife worked with the former Australia union coach Rod Macqueen, who encouraged him to consider a career switch after his experiences with the Kangaroos and Cronulla.
Anderson's agent circulated his availability throughout the world and the Dragons bit after their original choice to succeed Ruddock, Declan Kidney, opted to remain in Ireland and join Leinster.
"Every player in the squad was shocked at the appointment," said the Dragons' captain Jason Forster. "The whole rugby world was, and we did not know what to expect. It was not plain sailing from the start and a few of us had up-and-downers with him, but first and foremost Chris is a winner who brought with him a hard mental attitude and I reckon he will prove himself to be the best signing made by the region.
"He makes you think and keeps you on your toes but, like all Australians, he is approachable, willing to chew things over and admit when he is wrong." Anderson initially left scrums and lineouts to the players and his forwards' coach Leigh Jones but now admits: "I have come to appreciate the scrum as an attacking weapon. It offers a way of putting opponents under pressure and disrupting their ball."
His immediate focus was to enhance the Dragons' attacking options. Like Newport before them they were known for their ball-winning pack but not an ability to turn possession and position into tries. Watching them against Ulster this month, when they fashioned scores from set-pieces through smartly angled runs, was to see the difference Anderson had made.
"I have been fortunate that we have made a winning start and that keeps the pressure off," he said. "As a game, union needs to concentrate more on attack because defences have become so strong over the last seven years. The balance needs to be redressed but the forwards still have to deliver the possession.
"The last few months have opened my eyes as far as union is concerned. It is a game in pretty rude health and it offers something different to league because you can use the ball in the tackle and keep moves going. Lineouts are still a foreign affair to me and I leave them to other guys."
Anderson signed a one-year contract with an option for a further 12 months. Does he intend to stay on next year? "Let's get this season out of the way first," he said. "There were a few times when I wondered what I was doing here but I am glad I made the decision to come.
"The prospect of Jonny Wilkinson's side coming to Newport is one to savour and our season really starts on Saturday: he is the David Beckham of the rugby world in that everyone wants a piece of him but he will be one part of a strong side and it is far more than a question of just stopping him."
b?Cracking the code
What a league coach needs to learn about union
Scrums
Uncontested in league, they are a regular source of penalties in union. A number of countries, notably France and South Africa, place great emphasis on physical domination at such set pieces.
Lineouts
Non-existent in league, they have vexed lawmakers in union over the years because what was intended as a means of restarting play became a jungle of confusion and whistle. Complex calls and choreography make the area a haven for specialists with Chris Anderson likening it to Chinese Chequers.
Ruck and maul
When Iestyn Harris moved from Leeds Rhinos to Cardiff three years ago, the breakdown area took him the longest to get used to. A player tackled to the ground in league means the end of a move but in union it is often only the beginning, with referees quick to blow the whistle if the ball is not released immediately.
Kicking out of hand
Kicks in league tend to come after the fifth tackle in a series of moves but in union it is a tactical weapon used freely. A variety of kicks are employed, from raking touch-finders and ones which are intended to hug the touchline rather than go over it to box kicks and garryowens. Harris needed time to work out not only when to kick but which type to employ and his early career with Cardiff and Wales was dogged by charge-downs.
Attack and defence
Since union went professional in 1995 it has employed an increasing number of former league coaches as defensive specialists but England - and Newport Gwent Dragons - have gone one further by hiring Joe Lydon and Anderson respectively to refine their attacking play. The Dragons have started scoring tries from set pieces thanks to angled running as Anderson becomes accustomed to the concept of broken play, with more passing in contact in union than in league.
