"Deeply disappointed" - England slammed for selecting player after head injury

The group, which is seeking better protection for players and represents several former professionals who have suffered serious medical issues, condemned the props selection among Eddie Jones replacements.

Sinckler suffered the head knock in the first half against Ireland, and looked visibly knocked out.

They tweeted: "Deeply disappointed to see Kyle Sinckler included following what we maintain was a clear concussion against Ireland last weekend.

"Protocols that allow a player to be exposed to high impact collisions just a week after a brain injury are not fit for purpose.

"Full stop."

Former England prop Alex Corbisiero added: "The more this continues to be allowed in the sport, the more I think we need to look at the RFL’s 11 day return to play protocol. Just seems safer and means we’ll never see players in this position again."

However, when questioned about the decision to pick Sinckler, Jones insisted that all he could do was rely on professional guidance, saying: |I only follow the medical protocols. We’ve got a very good medical staff.

"Wales went through the same thing with Tomas Francis. There are protocols in place to ensure the safety of players and it’s not for me to second-guess the medical staff.

"He goes through all the protocols and we get an independent professor to judge his status to play the game, then we take that all into consideration and if it’s all positive then he’s fit for selection."

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. 

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.

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.