Clive Woodward has ruled out the possibility of working with new England coach Eddie Jones and says the Rugby Football Union (RFU) should have appointed a director or rugby before searching for Stuart Lancaster's replacement.

Reports suggested that Woodward, who led England to Rugby World Cup glory in 2003, was being earmarked for a director of rugby role with the RFU.

However, Woodward is not interested in taking up such a position and, while talking up Jones' credentials, would have preferred the RFU to have taken more time to consider an English candidate.

"It appears the RFU's crude 'money no object' search for a 'super coach' to revive England will result in the appointment of Eddie Jones," Woodward, whose England team beat Jones' Austrailia in the 2003 World Cup final, wrote in The Daily Mail.

"I do, however, wish the RFU's CEO Ian Ritchie had taken his time and considered some of our top Premiership coaches - in particular Rob Baxter at Exeter, Northampton's Jim Mallinder and Dean Ryan at Worcester - who I believe could do the job.

"Those coaches are now suffering from the RFU learning the wrong lessons from the last four years under Stuart Lancaster, and Ritchie's insistence that they would only consider coaches with a proven international record - that is, they were only going to look overseas.

"That smells of a quick fix to save their own backsides. I just wish somebody at the RFU would have the spine to say 'sorry we got it all badly wrong' before we move on.

"There is also now, finally, a suggestion that a director of rugby role will be added, something many have been advocating for years.

"Some people are linking me with that role but I can say categorically here and now that I would not take any such position under these circumstances. It is not that I would or wouldn't have chosen Eddie as head coach. I may well have done.

"The point is that a director of rugby must be accountable. The appointments will have been made the wrong way round. When you start with a blank sheet, the director of rugby is the first appointment you make.

"He then leads the search for a head coach who he feels is best suited to the job and with whom he believes he can work closely. Now, if anybody comes in as director of rugby, he is immediately off the hook because Eddie won't have been his appointment."