O’Gara is mid-season with French club La Rochelle and is in talks to re-sign for another three years, sources told the Herald. The former Ireland international led the club to a European Champions Cup title last season but would be the least experienced candidate, with no experience coaching at Test level.

Former Wales and British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland would also be in the mix and the only one in a position to start immediately. He has also been linked to another tilt with Wales, given Wayne Pivac’s poor results and unpopularity.

If Jones is sacked, it would add intrigue to the hunt for the next Wallabies coach. The Herald reported the experienced coach, who had success leading Australia, Japan and England at Test level, was in talks to join USA Rugby on a long-term deal.

USA Rugby boss Ross Young said no decision had been made on current coach Gary Gold’s future, but Jones will be in high demand as one of the most experienced and successful coaches around. The Eagles are a turnaround job of the highest order, having failed to qualify for next year’s World Cup and with the tournament headed there in 2031.

Rennie has cooled on hopes of an extension with Australia beyond the end of 2023, with a review underway into Australia’s catastrophic injury toll. Sources have linked the well-liked coach to a potential reunion with Wayne Smith at Japanese club Kobe, or a move to France.

Loading

The news comes as New Zealand and Australia bury the hatchet on Super Rugby and agree a long-term deal to keep a 12-team competition intact until 2030.

The deal will be announced in Sydney on Friday, the Herald understands, with Australia to retain five teams through until after the 2029 women’s World Cup.

It is a big breakthrough after months of negotiations, during which Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan repeatedly threatened to walk away from the 25-year-old partnership.

A report in the New Zealand Herald suggested the final terms of the agreement, which starts in 2024, would see “temporary financial arrangements” in place in 2024 and potentially 2025. A final revenue split would be agreed for 2026 and beyond, which would dovetail with RA’s next broadcast deal. Nine, publisher of this masthead, has a two-year option to extend at the end of 2023.

NZR, which has a $100 million a year broadcast deal with Sky, gives RA about $5 million a year under the terms of the current, post-Covid Super Rugby Pacific arrangement. RA, which runs its business on a $32 million per year deal with Nine and Stan, wanted that contribution to increase to as much as $10 million in the new deal. It is not known where negotiations settled.

RA will see the deal as a win, having seen off NZR’s 2020 proposal that Australia field just two teams in an overhauled regional competition.

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.