"He backs himself" - Will Greenwood makes shock choice to replace departing Eddie Jones

"When Eddie leaves his post, presumably post-2023, there will be a whole host of names in the mix. Steve Borthwick, Rob Baxter, Alex Sanderson, Scott Robertson, Andy Farrell. But for me you have to have Stuart Lancaster in that conversation," wrote Greenwood in his column for the telegraph.

"I honestly believe he would be better a second time around.

"Failure is a vital part of success. Sir Clive Woodward probably would have lost his job in today’s climate after what happened in 1999 but he came back to win four years later. Graham Henry won the 2011 World Cup after being given another chance.

"Would Stuart want to come back? That is another question entirely.

"I haven’t asked him but I suspect the answer is yes. Stuart may be unassuming and softly-spoken but he is also a competitive animal. And a proud man.

"I say this as a friend but he always looks good, if you know what I mean. He is a bloke who looks after himself physically. And he backs himself."

See who are the current favourites to take the reins at Twickenham.

The irony with Farrell is that he is arguably the most obvious candidate and fits the role as well as anyone, but he might be the toughest for the RFU to land due to his long-term deal with Ireland.

Roberson is one of the most revered coaches in the southern hemisphere. The 46-year-old is a serial winner and has all the tools to bring back the insatiable winning mentality which has been missing for Eddie Jones' men of late.

Baxter is rapidly approaching the 12th anniversary of his time in charge at Exeter Chiefs and it may be difficult to prize him away from that. But there is no doubt about his credentials; his time in charge at the Chiefs has seen the club change beyond recognition. 

He conquered the world with South Africa in 2019 and the only logical next step after such a feat would be to take the grandest and most high-profile job in world rugby. It is not a far-fetched notion, either; reports in the South African press last year suggested that Erasmus had held talks with the RFU about succeeding Jones, which were subsequently denied. He'd also been recently linked with Harlequins.

Should they go in the direction of Gatland, they would get a man with incredible international experience who helped change the face of Welsh rugby during his 12 years in charge of the country up to 2019. With a host of international honours to his name and an already extensive knowledge of English talent thanks to his continued involvement with the Lions, this would arguably be the most risk free option on this list.