Rassie Erasmus lined up to replace Eddie Jones - reports

World Cup winning Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has met with the RFU to discuss the possibility of him replacing Eddie Jones as England head coach according to reports.

Erasmus led the Springboks to a 32-12 win against Jones’ England in last year’s World Cup final and is now solely focused on his role as SA Rugby director of rugby, with former defence coach Jacques Nienaber having recently taken over as head coach.

The Rapport newspaper claims Erasmus has already had talks with the RFU, which wants him to take over from Jones, whose current contract ends in 2021.

England began the Six Nations with a 24-17 loss to France in Paris and claimed an ugly 13-6 win against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday, a match Erasmus attended.

According to the Rapport’s two impeccable sources, while Erasmus has signed a six-year contract with SA Rugby, a clause in it would allow him to step away earlier if he and the RFU reached an agreement.

The South African Rugby Union had not responded to the Rapport’s requests for comment by Saturday night

Eddie Jones' current England deal expires at the end of 2021 but the RFU could move to replace the Australian if they are able to sign Erasmus now or even could wait for his contract to expire with Erasmus replacing the current boss next year.