It appears the RFU’s crude ‘money no object’ search for a ‘super coach’ to revive England will result in the appointment of Eddie Jones. If that is the case, I will be delighted for him.

I do, however, wish the RFU’s CEO Ian Ritchie had taken his time and considered some of our top Premiership coaches — in particular Rob Baxter at Exeter, Northampton’s Jim Mallinder and Dean Ryan at Worcester — who I believe could do the job.

Those coaches are now suffering from the RFU learning the wrong lessons from the last four years under Stuart Lancaster, and Ritchie’s insistence that they would only consider coaches with a proven international record — that is, they were only going to look overseas.

Eddie Jones (left with Sportsmail columnist Sir Clive Woodward) is set to be named England's new head coach

Jones's efforts with the Japan set-up at the Rugby World Cup and in previous roles make him a top contender

The RFU has insisted only coaches with international pedigree will considered after Stuart Lancaster (centre)

That smells of a quick fix to save their own backsides. I just wish somebody at the RFU would have the spine to say ‘Sorry we got it all badly wrong’ before we move on.

There is also now, finally, a suggestion that a director of rugby role will be added, something many have been advocating for years.

Some people are linking me with that role but I can say categorically here and now that I would not take any such position under these circumstances. It is not that I would or wouldn’t have chosen Eddie as head coach. I may well have done.

The point is that a director of rugby must be accountable. The appointments will have been made the wrong way round.

When you start with a blank sheet, the director of rugby is the first appointment you make. He then leads the search for a head coach who he feels is best suited to the job and with whom he believes he can work closely.

Now, if anybody comes in as director of rugby, he is immediately off the hook because Eddie won’t have been his appointment.

I actually thought the RFU had appointed a director of rugby in 2006 when Rob Andrew arrived but apparently that is not what he does. At the RFU there is a director for everything else; finance, marketing, legal, communications — but not a director of rugby. You couldn’t make it up.

I have known Eddie for a long time and we have always got on very well. Many will remember Japan’s astonishing victory against South Africa in the World Cup — with a performance of speed and clinical precision he styled ‘ruck and run’ rugby.

RFU’s CEO Ian Ritchie has moved swiftly to replace Lancaster without considering promising English options

Northampton’s Jim Mallinder is among a number of coaches paying the price for the mistakes of the RFU

Rob Baxter at Exeter (left) and Worcester's Dean Ryan are both local coaches who could have done the job

I visited Eddie at the team hotel in Gloucester a couple days after the famous victory and it was one of the most enjoyable days I have experienced in the game for a while.

NEW BOSS JONES' IMPRESSIVE C.V. Advertisement

I was fascinated to learn how he had tapped into the psyche of his players’ unique background and heritage to decipher their strengths and weaknesses and devise a game-plan to launch Japan on the international scene.

Eddie has a wide-ranging c.v. which is mostly successful although there have been blips. After reaching the 2003 World Cup final with Australia he tried to implement radical reforms within the team with a view to becoming world champions in 2007 and it was too much, too soon for the Australian Union. Results tailed off and he found himself out of a job.

A poor season with the Queensland Reds followed where he resigned after a year. He then teamed up with Jake White at South Africa and played an important support role in their 2007 World Cup success.

There was also a spell with Saracens before he settled into the Japan job and when I spoke to him he was clearly revived. When our discussion turned to England, who were due to play Wales that weekend, he said: ‘He (Lancaster) doesn’t look 100 per cent sure of exactly how he wants England to play — you can see that from his different selections. What is England’s identity?’

For the first time in seven years, England will actually have a coach in charge who has enjoyed success as a head coach. That is very positive and Eddie has my total support.

The identity of a team is a big lesson to learn from the World Cup. Argentina, Australia and New Zealand are the best case studies in how a nation’s identity can be woven into an effective gameplan and it’s worth noting that all had one of their own as coach.

But there is no doubt Eddie managed to tap into something very Japanese with the Brave Blossoms.

Perhaps it does need an Australian to remind us what England rugby is all about. I am already looking forward to his first selection, which will be a lot harder than he thinks because for the first time in his career he will have a whole variety of choices. This could be a very exciting period for England.

Jones successfully tapped into the psyche of his Japan players’ unique background to get the best from them

Woodward writes visiting Jones and his Japanese players was an extraordinarily enjoyable experience

Jones lost the 2003 World Cup final to England, but faltered in trying to implement radical reforms before 2007

His influence on the South Africa camp, under Jake White (left), was also significant in their 2007 victory

I will be fascinated to see what happens to the existing coaching team — Andy Farrell, Mike Catt and Graham Rowntree — who are still under contract until 2020.

Will they remain in place or does Eddie bring in new coaches such as former England captain Steve Borthwick, who he worked so well with in Japan?

Just 18 months after retiring as a player, Steve has shown great promise as a forwards coach and could help Eddie navigate his way through the complicated English scene. It would also be good to see Wales assistant coach Shaun Edwards involved.

That said, the England press conference last week, when Ritchie announced the departure of Lancaster, showed England rugby in a very poor light again.

The influence Ritchie holds over the national team, despite possessing no understanding of rugby at even the humblest level, is bizarre and the appointment of Lancaster for the last four years just proved the point. But onwards Ritchie and the RFU board blindly go.

Just 18 months after retiring as a player, Steve Borthwick proved himself an impressive assistant for Jones

When I resigned as England head coach in July 2004, it was because I refused to be undermined continually by people in the RFU who demonstrated no knowledge of the game. I had been brilliantly backed by the RFU and enjoyed total control of England between 1997 and 2003.

However, after the World Cup those individuals at the RFU, with no understanding of how we had done it, tried to take control back and wanted to get their hands on the tiller again.

Soon after returning from winning the World Cup in November 2003, I discovered a deal had been brokered between the RFU and the clubs without my knowledge which made my job untenable. You can’t win on the field unless you have it right off the field. My final press conference was not my finest hour but I was angry and had lost all patience with the RFU. My final words were: ‘I may be in a minority of one, but that does not mean I am wrong.’

Last week’s press conference showed that it is worse than ever.

Numerous questions have gone unanswered surrounding Ritchie.

Why did he personally avoid any scrutiny for England’s failure, despite selecting Lancaster and appraising him over the last four years? Why was he allowed to lead the review into England’s performance despite being totally conflicted? Why should the head coach continue to report directly to him even though he has zero rugby expertise and has done nothing since being appointed to warrant that responsibility? Ritchie insists the new head coach will report to him and that Ritchie is accountable. This is the same Ritchie who said he was accountable in September when all things were rosy.

Then, when push came to shove after the World Cup, he promptly decided he wasn’t accountable after all. Instead his review heaved the responsibility of failure totally on to Lancaster.

How can Ritchie and Eddie have meaningful rugby conversations when there is no shared understanding of the game? When Lancaster was in charge, Ritchie attempted to bridge this gap by attending training sessions and sitting in on team meetings. That’s not how it works. In fact, it is the total opposite of what should be done.

Sir Clive says he resigned as England head coach in July 2004, because 'I refused to be undermined continually by people in the RFU who demonstrated no knowledge of the game'

Woodward, celebrating England's World Cup final victory in Sydney, praised the RFU's support up to that point

Ritchie (right), who has no meaningful rugby experience, addressed press on Lancaster's departure last week

It doesn’t stop at Ritchie, I should add. Ritchie’s recommendations are endorsed and rubberstamped by an RFU Board who between them do not possess a second of coaching experience or a single cap of playing experience in the professional era.

It is the blind leading the blind. I do not question their expertise in their day jobs at the RFU. Collectively they have done very well in ensuring the RFU continues to be commercially successful. But in the elite rugby sense it is flawed.

I believe there is every chance that England under Eddie can rebuild momentum quickly but I have no confidence that the real issues in the English game have been addressed. Eddie highlighted that himself earlier this week when he spoke about the lack of control England have over their players.

The relationship between club and country is still edgy, they are not as one, and the unity other nations enjoy gives them a big advantage. I fear the club-versus-country relationship in this country has worsened in the last few weeks and the fact the clubs have no say in Eddie’s appointment will not help his cause initially.

But he’s a fighter. I think back to our day at Gloucester and something he said: ‘To create great winning teams you often have to challenge the status quo. If you are going to start becoming winners, change is needed but administrators, the guys in suits, feel threatened and don’t like that.’

I have always liked that pugnacious approach. Eddie is a resourceful man and perhaps it is an indication that he is prepared to shake things up. I wish him every success. Good luck.