Eddie Jones: Former Australia and Japan coach arrives in London to hold talks with RFU over vacant England rugby job

Eddie Jones is in talks with the Rugby Football Union in London with a few to becoming Stuart Lancaster’s successor as England head coach, The Independent understands.

Jones left his role with Japan following the Rugby World Cup, in which they famously beat South Africa 34-32 in the pool stage and came within a whisker of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time, only to be edged out by the Springboks and Scotland. In doing so, they became the first ever nation to win three pool matches and fail to progress to the knockout stage.

Jones took up the head coach role with South African Super Rugby side the Stormers, but on Wednesday it was reported that the RFU had made an official approach to the club to negotiate a compensation package, believed to be in the region of £100,000, with Jones then travelling to England for talks over the role.

The 55-year-old Australian coached the Wallabies when they lost the 2003 Rugby World Cup final to England, and holds a single Tri-Nations victory to his name which came back in 2001 in the same year that his Australia side beat the British and Irish Lions.

Jones was initially included on a shortlist drawn up by the RFU once Lancaster had offered his resignation, where he was joined by former South Africa head coach Jake White, Australia’s Michael Cheika and current Wales boss Warren Gatland.

But while White made his interest in the role perfectly clear, both Gatland and Cheika were among a large number of possible replacements who ruled out taking up the position.

While Japan quickly became everyone’s ‘second team’ at the World Cup following the expansive style and major upset over South Africa, their 2015 failed to deliver the high hopes away from the tournament.

Japan finished fourth in the Pacific Nations tournament, winning just one of their four matches while suffering losses against Fiji, Tonga and the United States, and while Jones is well known on these shores given the two years he spent with Aviva Premiership side Saracens from 2007 until 2009, question have arisen over his suitability given he has not won a major tournament in the last 14 years.

However, Jones’ appointment – should an announcement come in the next few days – could spell good news for one of the current England coaches as Andy Farrell worked under Jones’s stewardship at Sarries before joining the England set-up. While Jones is likely to want to add his personal touch to the backroom staff – which could spell trouble for forwards coach Graham Rowntree and attack coach Mike Catt – Farrell’s relationship with Jones could see the ex-England international cling on to his position as defence coach.

Furthermore, former Saracens and England captain Steve Borthwick could follow Jones having worked with the Australian in the Japan coaching set-up. The former second-row was also the Saracens skipper during Jones’ reign at Vicarage Road.