Cronulla Sharks coach John Morris admits he was "totally blindsided" by reports claiming England rugby union coach Eddie Jones was being considered as his possible replacement.
Morris is facing an uphill battle to keep his job, after the Sharks lost to lowly St George Illawarra Dragons 30-16 at Campbelltown Stadium on Sunday.
The loss leaves the Sharks with a 1-4 record this season, despite a roster featuring several representative players, including Andrew Fifita, Wade Graham and Kiwis duo Briton Nikora and Shaun Johnson.
Last week, Australian reports suggested Jones was one of many lining up as a possible replacement for Morris.
Jones recently signed a second contract extension with the English Rugby Football Union (RFU) to take him through to the 2023 Rugby World Cup and according to The Independent, no formal approach has been made.
Morris says he's been taken by surprise about the rumours that circulated after their win against the North Queensland Cowboys last weekend.
"The Eddie Jones stuff caught me by surprise, as it did a lot of people," says a dejected Morris.
"I'm contracted to the end of 2021, so I can't read too much into that. That sort of speculation and rumour... I can't let that distract me from my focus on this playing group.
"You'd have to speak to the club. There's been mention at all to me about my position.
"It came from leftfield last week, after we had our win over the Cowboys. We were singing our team song in the sheds and they were reporting on Fox that my job was under pressure, so that totally blindsided me.
"We've had massive challenges around the club with the salary-cap fine, we've had to let players go as a result of that.
"I played finals football last year in my first year as a rookie coach. I don't want to sit here and feel sorry for myself or anything, but I think I've done a really good job so far."
Former Sharks utility and Australian international Mat Rogers, who played under Jones at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, has thrown support towards Jones, as well as former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, who is currently an assistant with Sydney Roosters.
The Dragons' win saw them snap a 281-day losing streak, scoring their first try since the competition restarted.
Last week, Dragons coach Paul McGregor was criticised and his job seemed in doubt, but there was a sense of relief after beating the Sharks.
"It's always good to get the win," he says. "All we were after this week was improvement and we got that.
"The shed is nice and happy now," he ended with a smile.
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