Brian Ashton has claimed that there is no deal between himself and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) regarding a potential backroom role with the England national team.
Ashton is widely regarded as one of the top attack coaches in rugby and already has previous experience of the England setup, having coached them to the 2007 World Cup final.
Mike Catt was recently named the attack coach for the summer tour of South Africa, and Ashton praised the former England international while distancing himself from the squad.
"There is nothing in the pipeline with England at the moment and it is a non-story. I always felt that Mike Catt was innovative as a player and if he takes that perspective and mentality into his coaching, he would be a real bonus to anyone," Ashton told The Guardian.
"I think England have been looking for a coach who can help them find an extra gear in attack and I am sure that is what Stuart Lancaster will want Mike to do in South Africa. I hope that England will look towards the style of rugby that London Irish have played going forward under Catt as it's a very challenging game to defend against.
"He has to make sure though that all the basics are in place first, so that'll be the initial job. Once that's there then they can start to look to play in a slightly different way."
The speculation surrounding Ashton increased earlier this week as he left his role at National Division One side Fylde, with the Lancashire side saying that he had "other options of work to consider".
