England claim to have a plan in place to appoint Eddie Jones’ successor and won’t be caught with their pants down.
Jones is contracted until 2021 but it is widely expected he will leave his post following this autumn’s World Cup in Japan.
Wales and Ireland have announced that Wayne Pivac and Andy Farrell will replace their outgoing coaches Warren Gatland and Joe Schmidt.
But acting Rugby Football Union boss Nigel Melville insists the silence on the subject from Twickenham should not be confused with inaction - even though no appointment will be made before the World Cup.
"There is not a succession plan we have shared but that doesn’t mean there isn't one or that we don’t work on it on a regular basis,” said Melville, adding that if Jones leaves post World Cup, “We'll be absolutely ready”.
England's Eddie Jones compared to Jose Mourinho by worried World Cup winner
One theory is that England have already earmarked a big-hitting replacement such as Gatland, though unless they have an agreement in place they risk missing out on the triple Grand Slam winner and unbeaten Lions coach.
Another is that they would look in-house for an interim successor to see the World Cup season out. Jim Mallinder, who will take charge of England against the Barbarians in May, is employed by the RFU as a ‘pathway performance’ coach.
