Warren Gatland is not interested in the position of Wales head coach. The former Ireland boss and Wasps director of rugby was rumoured to be on the six-man shortlist drawn up by the Welsh Rugby Union.
But Gatland insists he is committed to his coaching position with Waikato and has not even inquired about replacing Mike Ruddock, who stood down midway through the Six Nations Championship.
"I haven't applied and as far as I'm concerned that's the end of it," Gatland told the South Wales Echo. "I have a job to do here in New Zealand. I'm not aware of any shortlist and I'm not going to put myself on it.
"I've had no contact from any Welsh officials and you can rule me out as an applicant."
Llanelli Scarlets director of rugby Gareth Jenkins is the only candidate to publicly confirm he has thrown his hat into the ring.
Leeds's Phil Davies is also understood to be in the running while reports in Wales suggest defence coach Clive Griffiths and Ospreys coach Lyn Jones are also on the shortlist.
All candidates will be interviewed this month and the union are expected to finalise their choice by mid-May.
Twickenham's review of an anti-climactic season will move into overdrive today after written submissions of what went wrong in this year's Six Nations from the England head coach Andy Robinson and each member of his management team, as well as the captain Martin Corry.
Excuses will not be enough to save jobs, with Robinson the only coach likely to survive the cull.
With the chief executive of the RFU, Francis Baron, and the management board chairman, Martyn Thomas, both branding the Six Nations campaign, which yielded victories in the opening two matches followed by three successive defeats, as unacceptable, changes are sure to be made.
Robinson's position is not under threat, but the backs coach Joe Lydon, defence coach Phil Larder and kicking coach Dave Alred are unlikely to survive. Jim Mallinder and Jonathan Callard, senior members of England's academy system, are leading contenders to join Robinson's team.
Mallinder would replace Lydon. Callard, the former Bath and Leeds coach, may fill the positions of both Larder and Alred.
The promotions would leave the academy, which lost its head coach Brian Ashton to Bath at the start of the year, denuded with two other members of the coaching staff, Nigel Redman and Dorian West, expected to join Bath and Harlequins respectively in the summer.
The reports will have got to Baron and be considered next Tuesday at a meeting of Club England, which includes former internationals in John Spencer, Bill Beaumont, Simon Halliday, Jeff Probyn and Bob Taylor. Their recommendations will be discussed by the RFU's management board on April 26th.
The Barbarians will conclude their summer tour with a ground-breaking game against Georgia in Tblisi on June 4th.
Leicester coach Pat Howard will take charge for the Baa-baas' first ever game against Georgia, who sit second, behind Romania, in the European Nations Cup.
