"Odds shortened" - Eddie Jones 6/4 to leave England before World Cup

England are unbeaten in eight games against the Wallabies under Jones, but it’s the hosts that are 8/13 favourites to win the first Test this Saturday, with England the underdogs at 11/8.

Jones has included both Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith in his starting XV for Saturday, and William Hill make the Saracens skipper 1/3 to outscore teammate Smith, with Farrell expected to take on kicking duties whenever he’s on the pitch.

William Hill spokesperson, Tony Kenny, said: “Recent performances have been below the standard expected from Eddie Jones’ men and the head coach’s position is definitely under the spotlight. At 6/4 to go before next year’s World Cup and 1/2 to stay, we think he’s just about safe for now, but a dismal display in Australia over the next three weeks could trigger a changing of the guard.

“On the pitch, we expect Owen Farrell to deliver with the boot and make him 1/3 to outscore chosen fly-half for the opener, Marcus Smith, across the three-Test series. Smith is possibly a bigger try-scoring threat, though, and can be backed at 9/4 to tally more points than Farrell over the three games.

“Despite Jones having a perfect record in eight games against his homeland, England head into the first match as the 11/8 underdogs – a price that underlines the concerns in the tourists’ ranks.”

England v Australia – 02 July:

Australia

Draw

England

Series Specials:

Most points:

Owen Farrell

Marcus Smith

Yes

No

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.