It’s been revealed tonight that former Wales boss Warren Gatland is open to taking charge of England on a caretaker basis if Eddie Jones is axed by the RFU.
The Mail Online have revealed that they are set to make a move for Gatland if they sackJones following dire autumn campaign that saw them win just one of their four matches.
Current Leicester boss Steve Borthwick, who is the current favourite to land the role long-term, could then work with Kiwi before taking over after the World Cup.
Eddie Jones pay-off?
Sources suggest the Aussie will receive an £800,000 pay-out if he is sacked as England boss – but he wouldn’t be able to take another job before the Rugby World Cup.
The RFU had promised a review, but sources indicated they could act before that to bring down the curtain on Jones’s seven-year tenure with the 2003 World Cup winners.
The Mail Online have reported that senior RFU performance executive Conor O’Shea was canvassing players.
A function involving Jones, senior RFU figures and members of the media was scheduled to take place on Monday, December 5, but that has now been postponed.
O’Gara out of the race:
He is out of the running to replace Eddie Jones as England boss after he signed a new three-year contract with La Rochelle.
The legendary Ireland fly-half has not been shy with confirming his interest in the England job but is currently in an interesting position, serving a 10-week touchline ban in France.
That ban was handed down to him for “making remarks to a match official”, having already served a previous six-week suspension this season for “disrespecting the authority of a match official”.
However, today’s reports in the French media claim that O’Gara will in fact stay at La Rochelle and sign a contract that will keep him in the south of France until after the 2027 World Cup.
They say: “A three-year contract, which would lead the Irish coach until the 2027 World Cup, is simply awaiting the signature of the person concerned today.”
“I would make him my captain ” – Warren Gatland reveals his five nailed-on starters if he was England boss
#1. Freddie Steward
Gatland wrote: ” Freddie is exceptional in the air and I also really like the way he has been developing as a full-back. He offers an attacking threat, and scores tries.
“My one bit of advice from a defensive point of view is that for Tom Wright’s try in the third Test, Freddie should have gone hard at a 45-degree angle to close the space down and prevent Wright from finding support from Nic White.”
