Sky Sports understands that the RFU has begun preliminary talks with Bristol about adding forwards coach Steve Borthwick to the revamped England coaching set-up.
Newly-appointed England head coach Eddie Jones reportedly wants Borthwick to become a prominent member of his back-room team.
A former England captain, Borthwick worked alongside Jones during the Australian's recent spell as head coach of Japan.
He has been praised for his work as an assistant with the Japanese team and took some of the plaudits for the fine play of their forwards at the recent World Cup, during which they defeated eventual semi-finalists South Africa in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport.
The 36-year-old has only recently started a two-year contract working alongside director of rugby Andy Robinson at Championship side Bristol.
However, he could combine club and national duties, as Andy Farrell did when he served as defence coach during England's first Six Nations campaign in 2012 under Stuart Lancaster.
A former Bath and Saracens lock with 57 England caps to his name, Borthwick retired as a player at the end of the 2014 campaign.