There are just over 60 days until Wales next hit a ruck in anger and, as things stand, there's little in place for the summer tour of Japan. No permanent replacement has been found for Warren Gatland - with it growing increasingly unlikely that there will be anyone in place for the two Tests in July. Steve Tandy was understood to be the front-runner, but new director of rugby Dave Reddin insisted there was still a double-digit shortlist to work through as he took over the search for Wales' next head coach. That leaves open the prospect of an interim taking charge of the summer - with Matt Sherratt having previously done so in the Six Nations . The Cardiff head coach is the obvious choice to lead Wales again in Japan, while his former colleague at the Arms Park - Harlequins boss Danny Wilson - is also understood to be a candidate to help them this summer. However, as things stand, neither have been approached yet from the Welsh Rugby Union - with Sherratt set to head out to South Africa this weekend for the Blue and Blacks' final two games of the United Rugby Championship regular season. Even without being approached yet, with Sherratt again saying last week there had been no contact, it's hard to envisage that it would be a particularly difficult process to get him in place for the summer. In the Six Nations, he was sitting at home, watching TV when the call came on the Monday evening. By Tuesday afternoon, he was sat in the golf club at Wales' Vale Resort training base, still sporting his Cardiff top as he was unveiled as Wales' interim head coach. The point is, it shouldn't take long to thrash things out. Of course, there are other factors ahead of the tour that are all dependent on the arrival of a new coach. 25% OFF DEAL NOW: Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby For example, Wales have a number of assistant coaches set to be out of contract this summer. The WRU's standpoint is that they'll get a head coach in the door, before then having a conversation with them and Reddin about their future. Alex King, having been moved aside ahead of the Six Nations, seems unlikely to be reconsidered when a new head coach is appointed, but there'll need to be decisions made on defence coach Mike Forshaw, forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys and one of Gatland's most trusted lieutenants, Rob Howley. Howley is a slightly more complicated case, because - alongside his coaching work - he has also been working with the pathway. As the days count down, there's always the possibility that it could be too short a turnaround to sort out an entirely new coaching staff - even if only on an interim basis. The other thing the lack of a head coach appointment likely affects is when Wales' squad will be announced. Last year, they named their squad at the start of June, before playing against South Africa on June 22 and then flying on to Australia. A similar timeframe would make sense, although the fact that all of Wales' professional clubs are in South Africa for the next two weeks could impact things. Wales play two Tests against Eddie Jones' Japan in Kitakyushu and Kobe in July, as they look to end their lengthy losing run at Test level. Originally, they had been considering having the players fly to Japan in economy class amid a bid to cut WRU costs. However, it's understood they were actually talked around by those within the professional clubs - who cited that playing for Wales should be a step up in terms of preparation and travel.