Aussies ready to move for Jones after World Cup

obviously. Where that goes in terms of the process that we run, well, that will be determined.

“I worked here with Eddie in 2003-05 — not that that makes any difference — but you appreciate his skills as a head coach. And if he’s willing and able, which are things you would have to work out, he would be on the list, probably another dozen would be too.

“A lot of times the issue at international level is inexperience. International experience may be part of the criteria.

“Clearly, Eddie’s one who has done that and then obviously been a favourable candidate for roles because of that international experience, but also his success.

“There will be others on that list — even Australians, your Scott Johnsons of the world [Scotland’s director of rugby], who have been at that international level. If you look at our current mix of [Aussie] Super coaches, I think while they’re inexperienced at that level, what we’ve found through all the profiling work we’ve done is the capability of that group is really exciting.”

Whitaker’s comments come less than a week after RA’s new chief executive, Raelene Castle, said she would prefer Chieka’s successor to be Australian.

Fox Sports claim Jones (above) expressed an interest to at least one member of RA’s board about returning to the Wallabies role at some stage of his career but failed to get enough encouragement and so decided to extend his contract with England.

Jones’s focus is on making England the No1 team in the world and World Cup winners next year. After extending his contract, worth a reported £700,000 a year, he said: “Coaching England is a dream job for me, and I was delighted to be asked to stay on after Rugby World Cup 2019.

“I never take my role as England head coach for granted and did not presume I would be asked to stay on, but, once the conversations started very recently, it was not a difficult decision to make.”

Meanwhile, captain Dylan Hartley will have to pass a fitness test to play in Paris after suffering a calf injury in training.

If Hartley is not cleared, Jamie George will start as hooker while Jones will name Luke Cowan-Dickie among the replacements when the match squad is announced tomorrow.

England will be without wing

Jack Nowell due to an ankle problem while flanker Sam Underhill injured a toe but is expected to be okay for the final round of matches on March 17 when Ireland come to Twickenham.