Eddie Jones ' future as England boss could be heavily influenced by his own squad following news the RFU will 'seek feedback' from players.
The walls already appeared to be closing in on the former Australia chief following England's recent loss to Argentina and their comeback draw against New Zealand. However, Saturday's 27-13 defeat to South Africa at Twickenham has sparked another review into the head coach's position.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney has brought forward a formal review into Jones' role that was due to take place on December 9. The Daily Mail reported this meeting "will not be a cosy formality," as has been the case with similar investigations when England have found their form lacking.
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Moreover, director of performance Conor O'Shea is said to be discussing the matter privately with England players. Jones took over as England coach in late 2015 and was expected to leave after next year's Rugby World Cup in France, but it now seems plausible that departure date could be moved forward.
The Red Rose failed to inspire in 2022 and won just five of their 12 Test fixtures overall. It started with the team placing third in the Six Nations, having won just two of their five games for the second year running.
England open the 2023 Six Nations with a clash at home to Scotland, and former head coach Clive Woodward called for Jones to be fired immediately if they fail to beat their border rivals. "'Forget the next World Cup, if you lose your next game against Scotland in the Six Nations you're out of your job,'" he wrote for the Daily Mail . "If Jones has to get paid off and we need to raise the money for that to happen, then so be it.”
It's uncommon in rugby for Tier 1 nations to make such drastic coaching changes so close to a World Cup. Both England and Wales coaches are currently under immense pressure, with Wayne Pivac also facing scrutiny at the helm in Cardiff.
Jones succeeded in guiding England to a runner-up finish at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, but the prospects look a lot more bleak as things stand. The 62-year-old has been criticised for not respecting the England job enough, confirming earlier in 2022 that he'd held talks to take over French side Racing 92 while still holding an advisory role with Japanese club Tokyo Sungoliath.
The Daily Mail touted Crusaders tactician Scott Robertson and Leicester Tigers boss Steve Borthwick as frontrunners to replace Jones at the helm. Borthwick pulled off an extreme makeover at Welford Road to bring Leicester their first Premiership crown since 2013 earlier this year, while former New Zealand under-20 boss Robertson has led the Crusaders to four Super Rugby titles in five years.
