RFU 'sound out' TWO possible replacements for under fire Eddie Jones

The RFU said, following a review into their worst Six Nations since 1976, that the Aussie retains the union’s “full support” after the chief executive, Bill Sweeney, had previously refused to rule out activating a break clause in the Australian’s contract.

Jones – the highest paid coach in the world – is contracted through to the 2023 World Cup in France but in announcing a number of recommendations, the RFU intends to keep Jones and England’s performances under regular review via a group of “external rugby experts”.

They will be called upon to review and support the coaching strategy after every England campaign, though have not been named by the RFU, which has also kept secret the identity of the review panel, who were assisted by coaches – past and present – and a series of presentations from Jones.

This didn't stop speculation that the RFU had looked into possible successors, with The Rugby Paper going as far to suggest they'd sounded out Gatland and Rassie Erasmus.

They further say there are rumours Gatland is “house-hunting in the Twickenham area ahead of a potential post-Lions tour move to the capital, but it is understood nothing has been signed”.

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.