Eddie Jones has emphatically ruled himself out of coaching the British and Irish Lions in 2021 claiming the last thing he wants to do is 'spend eight weeks in a blazer'.
The outspoken Australian could well find himself out of job after the World Cup this autumn if England flop in Japan.
And Wales' triple Grand Slam winning coach Warren Gatland is heavily touted to take charge of his third Lions tour after the success of 2013 and the drawn series with New Zealand in 2017.
However, the New Zealander is also reportedly on the shortlist to replace Jacques Brunel with France alongside England's 2003 World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward and their current defence chief John Mitchell.
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Should Gatland be employed elsewhere, Jones' name could well be in the Lions frame, but when asked by an Australian newspaper if he would consider taking on the head coach role, his answer was unequivocal.
"The last thing I want to do is spend eight weeks in a blazer," Jones told the Brisbane Courier Mail.
"That's an ambassador job. I'm a coach. I'd rather coach the Queensland Sheffield Shield (cricket) team."
On a return to the Wallabies job, which he was sacked from in 2005, Jones said: "I don't think I would ever say never, but it's not something I have really thought about."
