Has Jones already ditched the Stormers?
Several candidates – including Jones, Wales' Warren Gatland and Australian coach Michael Cheika – have publicly distanced themselves from the England job, vacated when Stuart Lancaster fell on his sword after the disastrous World Cup campaign.
However, the English media is littered with reports that the Rugby Football Union has made contact with Jones in Cape Town.
These reports claim that the RFU offered to "buy out" Jones from his three-year Stormers contract and that he will be "unveiled" within the next week.
The RFU is apparently willing to fork out the £700 000 (ZAR15-million) asking price to get Jones to move north and is likely to use the £15-million profit from hosting the World Cup to secure a swift pay-out.
Reports from well-placed sources at Newlands told rugby365 that Jones left for London on Wednesday already.
Western Province Rugby Union President Thelo Wakefield this week put up a defiant front, telling local media that he is "confident" Jones will not ditch the Stormers to become England's new head coach.
The 55-year-old Jones, who only arrived in Cape Town on November 1 to head the Cape franchise's Super Rugby campaign in 2016, now looks set to assume the hot seat in the most lucrative coaching role in the game.
In an interview with the Cape Times, Wakefield said Jones had made it clear that he was not available for the England job and that there was no reason for them to doubt him.
According to Wakefield, Jones started his Super Rugby preparations with the Stormers on Monday.
Jones also told a media briefing at Newlands last week that there has been "no contact" from the RFU with him.
Jones told the Cape Town media that you should "never believe anything you read in the papers."
However, that seems to have dramatically changed in the last seven days.
Jones, who masterminded Japan's record haul of three victories at the World Cup, is understood to have accepted the RFU offer this week – hence the reports that he left for London on Wednesday.
Jones will apparently be given a blank sheet of paper as far as his coaching team goes, which should be a source of concern to Lancaster's assistants Graham Rowntree, Mike Catt and Andy Farrell.
Jones is understood to be amenable to an English flavour to his back room, but he will want to hand pick his own men and – of the trio – he has only worked with Farrell, before his spell at Saracens which ended in 2009.
South Africa's former World Cup-winning coach Jake White, another candidate linked to the job, seems to have dropped down in the RFU pecking order.
Jones was only appointed as the new Stormers head coach in September after leading Japan to the World Cup in England, during which they recorded a famous victory over South Africa in the pool stage.
He has also coached Australia, and fits the RFU boss Ian Ritchie's desire to appoint a man with "proven international experience".
Ritchie is determined to appoint a heavyweight coach in the wake of the disappointing World Cup campaign, which saw England become the first hosts not to qualify for the knock-out stages following defeats by Wales and Australia.
Jones has experience of the English game, having also had a stint as Director of Rugby at Saracens.
Sources: Daily Express, BBC, Telegraph Sport & Sportsmail
