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Eddie Jones says 'absolutely no' to British and Irish Lions tour

England head coach Eddie Jones said he was honoured to be thought of for the job
Image: England head coach Eddie Jones said he was honoured to be considered to coach the British and Irish Lions

Eddie Jones has said "absolutely no" to the suggestion he might coach the British and Irish Lions during their tour of New Zealand.

The England head coach has transformed the national team after a disappointing performance at last year's World Cup saw them fail to get out of the group stage.

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With Jones leading the side since November 2015, England won this year's Six Nations Grand Slam and on Saturday secured a historic series win over Australia with one match still to play.

Chris Robshaw of England (holding ball) during the Test match between Australia and England in Melbourne
Image: England won in Melbourne on Saturday to clinch the Test series with one game remaining

The recent run of success has seen England jump to second in the World Rugby rankings, having previously been ranked in eighth place when the 56-year-old Australian coach took over.

Jones said that, while he was flattered to be considered to lead the 2017 Lions tour, his priorities remain with the England national team.  

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Highlights from Melbourne as England defeated Australia 23-7 to claim an historic series victory

"I am honoured to be thought of in that area but I have a massive commitment to England and the RFU and I can't afford to spend any time away from the team," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"While it might be nice to do it professionally, my job is to make England the best in the world and I am going to do that 100 per cent.

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"So unfortunately, I am unavailable for the Lions. Absolutely no. We have improved but we want to keep on improving and we will not be happy until we get to number one in the world.

"I can't ask for more but we want more. We want to be the best in the world."

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Stuart Barnes reacts to England's historic series victory over Australia in Melbourne

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