Warren Gatland lined up to replace under pressure Eddie Jones as England boss

Despite a positive Autumn Nations Series, two fifth-place finishes in the last three years of the European showpiece haven't been forgotten by the governing body.

He went into the 2021 Six Nations demanding that England become “an impossible side to play against”. Unfortunately, Scotland, Wales and Ireland didn’t buy into such an idea as they all inflicted defeats on the men in white.

As a result, The Rugby Paper suggested following the dismal finish that the Rugby Football Union had sounded out Gatland amid doubts over the future of Jones.

They further said in that report that 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”.

This weekend, the publication once again suggested that the three-time British & Irish Lions coach is available if they want him.

Gatland ruled himself out of coaching England in 2019, saying: I can tell you definitively now I will not be coaching England, there is no way, unless I put a blazer on or something! I think my coaching path is going to take a different direction.”

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.