Mike Ruddock's startling resignation as Wales coach will send shock waves reverberating throughout the rugby world.

It seems inconceivable Ruddock could quit just 11 months after he masterminded Welsh rugby's finest achievement for 27 years - a Six Nations Grand Slam.

But the news was confirmed on Tuesday night by Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Steve Lewis in a hastily-convened press conference at the Millennium Stadium.

And the question Wales supporters will now want answered is a simple one - why?

The official reason given is one of family reasons, but Ruddock's exit is likely to stir a hornet's nest of inquisition and intrigue.

Don't be surprised when the dust settles on this whole episode that player power surfaces prominently as a major factor behind his exit.

To those on the outside looking in, everything seemed rosy in Welsh rugby's garden.

And why shouldn't it?

In the 21 months since Gwent-born Ruddock replaced New Zealander Steve Hansen, Wales won more than half of their 20 Tests, including landing last season's Six Nations title, beating Australia for the first time since 1987 and claiming an impressive triumph in Argentina.

Wales also ran world leaders New Zealand perilously close in November 2004, and they defeated World Cup holders England - and then France in Paris - en route to the Grand Slam.

Ruddock's love affair with Wales has now ended on Valentine's Day, and the inquest is likely to be a long and intense one.

It is no secret there has been unrest in the Wales camp, with certain high-profile key players reportedly unhappy with Ruddock's coaching methods.

That has now all reached an extraordinary climax, with Ruddock - who had not signed a new contract incorporating the 2007 World Cup campaign - calling time on a job he landed in March 2004, despite not applying for it.

The WRU went out of their way to secure Ruddock, appointing him just when Llanelli Scarlets boss Gareth Jenkins appeared a certainty for the role, and their determination was rewarded in terms of results.

Under Ruddock, Wales rose from Six Nations wooden spoonists a year before he took charge, to Grand Slam champions of Europe.

Their thrilling, uninhibited approach to the game also won worldwide acclaim, and it was the style in which they won the Six Nations title which really wowed their fans.

That adventurous game plan, at times based on all-out attack, made Ruddock's Wales pure box-office material.

Now though, it is over almost as suddenly as it started, leaving his successor to take up the reins for remaining Six Nations games against Ireland in Dublin, followed by Italy and France at the Millennium Stadium.

But the players are the ones who now really have to deliver, because an air of suspicion will surround Ruddock's departure long after this season's international programme has ended.

And maybe only those outside the Welsh camp will be the ones wishing Ruddock a genuine bon voyage.