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England head coach Eddie Jones is reportedly set to be sacked by the RFU following an Autumn Nations Series review.
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An inquest into England’s dismal showing this November has taken place over the course of the last seven days, but it appears that Jones’ fate was effectively sealed over the weekend.
Writing in respected Australian newspaper, the Sydney Morning Herald, Georgina Robinson reports that the 62-year-old will be fired by the RFU.
If true, Leicester head coach Steve Borthwick is the hot favourite to take over the reins, although RugbyPass understands he first needs to be bought out of his contract with the Tigers. The RFU may be forced to wait until they have Borthwick’s signature before announcing Jones’ departure.
Jones’ case to continue in a post he held since the end of 2015 was not helped when his independent media advisor David Pembroke described RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney as “slippery” amid an accusation that he had leaked stories to the media about the departure of backroom staff.
Pembroke added that Sweeney is a “goner” and has since apologised for the remarks made on Wednesday in the comments section of a newspaper website.
Sweeney has been leading the review process and it is understood that he retains the full support of the board, who make the final decision on whether or not to sack Jones.
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Jones’ win ratio is 74 per cent in charge of England, which is still the highest winning percentage of any England head coach in history.
The news comes as Wales head coach Wayne Pivac faced a similar fate in Wales. The former Scarlets head coach has been replaced by Warren Gatland.
The Welsh Rugby Union confirmed Pivac’s departure following their review of Wales’ Autumn Nations Series campaign that included a home defeat against Georgia.
Wales won just 13 of 34 Tests under Pivac’s direction after succeeding his fellow New Zealander Gatland following the 2019 World Cup.
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And Gatland now makes an extraordinary return to the post he held between 2008 and 2019, during which time Wales won four Six Nations titles, including three Grand Slams, reached two World Cup semi-finals and briefly headed the world rankings.
additional reporting PA and AAP