Andy Farrell will not be England’s next head coach after signing a two-year contract extension to stay with Ireland until 2025.
Irish chiefs have moved to tie down Farrell beyond the 2023 World Cup, with the former dual-code international committing to the men in green.
Warren Gatland has also ruled himself out of replacing Jones, insisting he’d rather return to the club game.
“I am contracted with the New Zealand Rugby Union for the next 12 months and I have enjoyed my role as director of rugby with the Chiefs, working closely with the coaches and coaching the coaches and a hands-on role working with the players,” revealed Gatland, who was speaking exclusively to The Telegraph.
“After that I am probably going to look for another role overseas. I loved my time as a young coach in Ireland [with Connacht and then as head coach of the national side] and my time with Wasps and, of course, Wales. It was pretty challenging but the people made it special for me in Wales. I could end up in the UK again.
“I loved my time in the northern hemisphere, the friends that I made and I enjoyed the rugby. I have nothing concrete yet and haven’t had any conversations yet.
“There is a lot more pressure in international rugby because you are under the spotlight but the flip side is that every game is like a cup final.
“In club rugby you have a bit more leeway to try different combinations as you can lose some games and still make the top four. You look at the pros and cons of both and see hopefully where you can make a difference.”
DID YOU KNOW? As a player, Gatland played as a hooker and was one of Waikato’s longest-serving players, having played 140 games for the province – a record at the time
7 Favourites to replace Eddie Jones (William Hill)
#7. Joe Schmidt 12/1
#6. Shaun Edwards 10/1
#5. Andy Farrell 8/1
