"Telephone conversation" - Eddie Jones reveals he's 'talked' to a club about a coaching role

"The only thing I am worried about is England until the Rugby World Cup. But obviously people ask you questions and if you reply it becomes a huge story," Jones told Sky Sports.

"Maybe there has been a telephone conversation. Sometimes I don't handle those things, other people handle it for you. I'm a rugby coach and I love coaching, and I still feel like I have plenty to contribute."

Some fans reaction suggest they'd like the Aussie to leave his current role early with one supporter saying: "Take him now if they want - he’s a busted flush as far as England is concerned."

RFU boss Bill Sweeney has already revealed the next boss will be English with contenders such as Warren Gatland and Scott Robertson likely ruled out.

“We believe we’ve got such a wealth of English coaches in the game. As a leading rugby nation we should be developing English coaches and an English style of play,” said Sweeney.

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.