Barbarians coaches Ronan O’Gara and Scott Robertson have both expressed their interest in the England job when Eddie Jones leaves his role as boss after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Jones’ contract with England expires after the tournament in France, where his side will look to go one step further than the 2019 World Cup, in which they lost to South Africa in the final.
La Rochelle coach O’Gara and Crusaders boss Robertson are taking charge of the invitational Barbarians team as they prepare to face a New Zealand XV on Sunday, and in separate interviews they were asked if they would be interested in succeeding Jones.
“Yeah, of course, I would be,” O’Gara, who made 128 appearances for Ireland and also played for the British & Irish Lions, told The Times. “It’s a huge job. There’s probably a lot involved with it, and you’d have to be very firm with what your criteria are and what your role is.
“When you strip it all back, essentially you want to be winning games, but you need a strong support network around you to be put in that position.”
Robertson, meanwhile, did not discount taking the England role but said he would prefer to manage the All Blacks after impressing during his time in charge of Super Rugby team Crusaders.
The former flanker made 22 appearances for New Zealand during his playing career and reports have linked him to the job.
“I’ve been head coach for a number of years now, I did four years for Canterbury, a couple years with New Zealand Under-20 and six with the Crusaders,” Robertson said.
“Like any ambitious coach, you’d love to coach international footy. I’ve said it many times that the All Blacks is my preferred choice but if it didn’t work out that way, you know, England’s got so much potential. It’d be a pretty special job.
“I’m saying there’s potential [for] any international job — I’ll make that clear, because there’s a few coming up. My first choice is to be at home, and then what other potential? If it is England, Scotland or Australia or any other team that’s out there, you’ve got to look at it.”
O’Gara added that coaching his native Ireland would have a “special appeal” when considering a possible next destination and said he could see himself juggling club and country roles.
“I’m from Ireland, which would have a special appeal,” O’Gara said. “I would consider long and hard about what country. They’re all different, and they would have different replies.
“It’s a professional game, and if one job was to be just the coach for a side at Test level for your own country, I could see that appealing to me, and also concentrating on the club game.
“But then you might want to try, if your health allows, to be a veteran Test coach where you could have 20 years at Test level — there are coaches that have done that and done brilliantly.”