Former Wasps coach Shaun Edwards is a target for the Cardiff Blues with the Welsh franchise eyeing a part-time contract for the Wales defence guru.

Edwards bid farewell to Aviva Premiership side Wasps on Sunday and he is in-demand following Wales run to the semi-finals of the World Cup. With Wales already signalling their interest to keep hold of their man, amid reports of interest from England, Blues' CEO Peter Thomas is hoping to tie down Edwards a contract similar to Robin McBryde which sees him work with Wales and the Scarlets.

The former Wasps coach alluded to an offer from abroad, but Thomas has now signified his intention to secure the former Great Britain rugby league international to work alongside the Blues' current coaching staff.

"I would very much like him [Edwards] to come to the Blues," Thomas told BBC Wales. "I've spoken to the Welsh Rugby Union and registered a very strong interest in Shaun Edwards coming in to do a defensive role.

"He would work alongside both Justin [Burnell] and Gareth [Baber]. I know Warren Gatland would not have a problem with it and I've asked the Welsh Rugby Union to give it very serious consideration.

"We wouldn't have a position full-time at Cardiff Blues for Shaun Edwards and he knows that and he doesn't want that. We have a forwards coach, we have a backs coach - we want a defensive coach.

"And the coaching structure of these games is that you do two, maybe three sessions a week. I think the national team is the pinnacle. It is the be-all and end-all of rugby. Without a successful national side you haven't got a structure.

"But I also believe that when you add up the Six Nations, the summer tour and the autumn Tests, physically a national coach is probably involved four months a year. Now his customer is the regions and I'm absolutely pro the national coaching staff being allocated to the regions.

"And whether it's conditioning coaches, whether it's the backs coach, forwards coach, kicking coach - they all should be allocated to the regions for at least two thirds of the season. It'll be beneficial for the coaches of the regions, it'll bring far stronger communications with the national side.

"They've got the time - why aren't they employed in that direction? We've seen it with Robin McBryde. We've seen it with Shaun Edwards and Wasps."