It seems like the English RFU are definitely big-game hunting.
With Ireland coach Joe Schmidt insisting he will seeing out the remaining two years of his contract, it appears England might have turned their attentions towards another World Cup boss with an excellent reputation in Irish rugby.
Reports in the Australian press suggest Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika, who spent five years at Leinster and led the province to the first of their three European Cup titles, is the new prime target for the RFU should they dispense with Stuart Lancaster, who remains in the position despite rampant speculation over his potential successor.
England were effectively knocked out of their home World Cup by Australia in the pool stages last month, and Cheika was rewarded for getting the Wallabies to the final, where they were beaten by New Zealand, by being named World Rugby’s Coach of the Year.
England could certainly offer Cheika a bumper financial package to guide the team to the 2019 World Cup, and it is understood that RFU president Jason Leonard has revealed England’s interest in the 48-year-old.
