Nick Mallett heads list of applicants seeking to depose Stuart Lancaster as coach of England The deadline for applications for the position closes on Wednesday, with former Italy and Japan coach John Kirwan and former Ireland and Lions coach Eddie O'Sullivan among the leading overseas candidates who have put themselves forward. The All Blacks World-Cup winning assistant coach Wayne Smith, who had been previously touted as a "dream ticket" along with Mallett, however is thought not to have applied, with one source suggesting he was concerned the job description was "too all-encompassing." Jim Mallinder, the director of rugby at Northampton Saints, and London Irish's Toby Booth are understood to be the leading English candidates, along with Lancaster, who lodged his application before the opening Six Nations victory over Scotland. Clermont Auvergne's New Zealand coach, Vern Cotter, who was asked to apply for the All Blacks job by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union only to be pipped by Steve Hansen, is not thought to be in contention. Cotter, who coached Clermont to the Top 14 title, was sounded out by the headhunting firm Odgers Berndtson, who have been appointed by the RFU to lead the recruitment search, but the 49 year-old has two years to run on his contract with the French side. Once all the applications have been considered, the recruitment firm will recommend a shortlist to the five-man Professional Game Board panel who have been tasked with recruiting the new coach. It is understood incoming RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie, who does not take office at Twickenham until Feb 27, will chair the panel. Ritchie travelled to Rome last weekend to watch England's 19-15 victory, the second successive victory of Lancaster's interim tenure. The RFU is determined not to rush the appointment to ensure the recruitment process follows the highest professional standards after criticisms that the previous appointment of Johnson had been forced through by a three-man panel without any experience of executive recruitment and despite objections by the RFU director of elite rugby at the time, Rob Andrew. Interviews are likely to get under way before the end of the month, although it is understood that Lancaster will not be asked to give a presentation before the end of the Six Nations championship. Lancaster, who was a rank outsider for the position when he took over as interim coach in December, has seen his stock soar in recent weeks, earning plaudits for his bid to rid England of the off-field controversies that blighted their World Cup campaign and risking his own job prospects by blooding a new generation of players. Victories on the road against Scotland and Italy have provided substance to his words, but the acid test is likely to come with the visit of high-flying Wales to Twickenham on Feb 25.