Cape Town - Stormers fans woke up on Tuesday to the growing concern that new coach Eddie Jones could well be on his way to England.

Jones, 55, who only arrived in Cape Town on November 1 to head the Cape franchise's Super Rugby campaign in 2016, has increasingly been linked with the vacant England coaching position.

While several candidates - including Jones - have ruled themselves out of contention for the role, Jones' name simply won't go away when talk of who will replace Stuart Lancaster circulates.

This despite the fact Jones is on record as saying he's committed to the Stormers and "never believe anything you read in the newspapers".

Speculation that he'll assume the hot seat in the most lucrative coaching role in rugby union grew further overnight with several UK-based news sites claiming contact has been made with the former Japan coach.

Numerous betting websites either slashed their odds on Jones taking over, or suspended betting altogether after a flurry of "large" bets were placed.

The Daily Mail reported that England’s Rugby Football Union had made contact with Jones in Cape Town, while The Telegraph also wrote that Jones was now the favourite for the job.

The Mirror also reported that Jones was now favourite after bookies reported a “flood of money” for the man who also led the Wallabies to the 2003 Rugby World Cup final.

Whether any stock can be placed in the reports or not, one can only assume the WPRU will be frustrated by the continued speculation some three months from the start of the new season.