Now the Grand Slam is under his belt, Welsh rugby coach and Renegades? guest of honour Mike Ruddock has begun eyeing a new target ? the World Cup.

Ruddock, in Bermuda for the weekend with wife Bernadette, revealed that this was to be his final holiday before getting down to the serious business of preparing his side to procure the ultimate prize in 2007.

The former Wales ?B? back row forward has been basking in the glory of a first Grand Slam win for 28 years and was basking in the glory of the Island?s sunshine over the weekend, after being invited out for the domestic league and cup winners? end-of-season dinner.

And for Ruddock, who brought a laptop full of coaching information for the use of club sides here, the next wedge of hard work begins almost as soon as he gets back home.

?It has been a great few months for everyone, enjoying and savouring all that we have achieved,? said Ruddock, speaking to fresh from a horse and cart ride while relaxing at a South Shore beach resort for lunch.

?It is quite right that we make the most of this achievement but it doesn?t mean we can?t start planning for our next campaign and we will be doing that soon.

?We have a ceremony at the Millennium Stadium to commemorate our achievement and then it is back to work and down to the business of planning a World Cup campaign ? and I think we have a good chance of achieving our goal.?

England, whose winning captain in October, 2003, Martin Johnson hosted a dinner here last November as part of the World Rugby Classic, fell apart after their famous Johnny Wilkinson-inspired victory over Australia, crashing to shock defeats against all-comers.

But Ruddock is confident the same fate won?t befall his charges, although he knows his side are now the ones to beat on the international stage.

?I think the England situation was a unique one,? said Ruddock, who gave a question and answer session at the end of the rambunctious Renegades dinner at the Whaler Inn on Friday night.

?They had a team nearing retirement with a few guys just hanging around for the World Cup ? we have a completely different situation here.

?We are not going to fall apart because we have a very young side and a lot of these guys could be around for some time. I think this group will stay together so I think we can fairly confidently say that we won?t suffer the same fate.

?But, yes, it is going to be hard for us. I think a lot of people were surprised by what we did and how we did it and everyone was waiting for the wheels to fall off and were amazed when they didn?t.

?The element of surprise is now lost, however. People will know what we are trying to do and will be looking to knock us off ? we have to be ready and prepared for that.?

Ruddock, who was lured here by the father of Renegades skipper Mike Williams after the chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union Dave Pickering passed on the invitation to the former Swansea and Leinster boss, admits he was pleasantly surprised by his side?s triumph in the Grand Slam and is delighted by the knock-on effect the sport is now having on kids growing up in Wales.

?When I took on the job last year, I didn?t have any preconceived ideas or targets,? continued the jovial and down-to-earth Welshman.

?I wouldn?t be drawn into targets or predictions about how many games we would win or whether a Grand Slam was possible but I can certainly say now how happy I am to have done my bit to rekindle the glory days for Wales.

?It has come quickly because we have a great set of players, working hard for each other ? and I hope they do so for years to come.

?There is an underpinning philosophy based on playing values which helps give us our strength and flexibility and makes for a team with a good chance of doing something in the next World Cup.

?And we are also setting things up well for the future and I think there is another strong generation of rugby-playing Welshmen coming through.

?I went to do some schools coaching in North Wales recently, traditionally where a lot of soccer players come through, and I was delighted to see so many kids interested in rugby again.

?It is that sort of youthful enthusiasm that gives Wales a bright rugby future and I am proud to have played my part in that.?

Ruddock was also pleased with what he has seen so far of the Bermuda rugby-playing fraternity on this, his first trip to the Island.

?They have a good set-up here,? added Ruddock, who grew up admiring players of the stature of Gareth Edwards, a former visitor to Bermuda for the Classic.

?They appear to be very well organised and have some good people in charge and I wish them all the best for the future.?

Ruddock?s visit is yet another coup for Bermuda?s rugby community, who seem to be capable of regularly drawing some of the biggest names in the sport to the Island.

Whether any of his advice will rub off on the players and give the national side a chance to join Wales in the next World Cup will be discovered later this year when coach Pete Shillingford?s men head off to the Bahamas to begin the first leg of their long qualifying campaign.