The RFU has made planning to find Eddie Jones' successor in 2019 ‘a priority’, indicating that it will once again look overseas.

Its key objective is ‘to find the best person for the job’, even though one of the stated aims on Jones’ arrival two years ago was to nurture English coaches.

Jones has always said that he would step down from the job after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, although there are invariably many shifts in these sort of arrangements, but it is clear from the union’s bullish declaration on Tuesday that it wants to dominate world rugby for the foreseeable future that it will not contemplate risking a young English candidate for the post as it wants only proven winners.