The suits, CVs and positive body language will be in action from early tomorrow morning at Australian rugby HQ, but the real show won't start until around 2pm.

That's when the flamboyant broadcaster Alan Jones will make his pitch to an Australian Rugby Union panel for the Wallabies coaching job.

Jones, 66-years-old and considered one of the country's most powerful men, will attempt to do what he probably does best - persuade - after giving a sneak preview of his no-nonsense approach to rugby at a press conference last Friday.

The second favourite at $2.75, according to betting agency Lasseters, Jones will be trying to sway ARU chief executive John O'Neill and panel members Pat Howard, Michael Hawker, Rod McCall, Mark Connors and Brett Robinson.

O'Neill famously hired soccer guru Guus Hiddink to guide Australia to last year's World Cup and he has already tried to pull off a similar coup with four-time Super rugby winning coach Robbie Deans of New Zealand side the Crusaders.

Deans will not be interviewed after he all but ruled himself out last month when he said he would concentrate on pursuing the All Blacks position, but he is still rated a $6 chance - making him fourth favourite - for the Australian job.

And with rumours also circulating that off-contract Australian boss John Connolly could still be in the mix, the ARU are refusing to say the successful candidate will emerge from tomorrow's interviews, with any recommendation needing to be ratified by the board.

"The only thing that's really in stone at the moment going forward is what's happening on Friday," Howard told AAP.

"Because I guess of what the nature of it is at the moment ... how we move forward from that, there'll definitely be a recommendation from the panel, whatever that recommendation is, and from there I guess everything is possible."

Connolly has refused to offer his opinion on his preferred candidate - or on the Jones factor - but, asked if he expected to be considered again, said: "I wouldn't think that would be the case."

But would he be interested in continuing?

"Not really. It's one of those things that you haven't really thought of what you're doing one way or the other. But I haven't nominated."

While Jones, who last held the job 20 years ago, will sell himself as a purveyor of common sense in these crazy times of coaching overkill, the other interviewees come from the new school of career coaches.

Favourite at $2.25, David Nucifora is the only interviewee with a Super rugby title and is respected enough to hold down a job at a New Zealand side, the Auckland-based Blues.

He may finally be able to put the falling out with senior players, which led to his departure from the Brumbies in 2004, behind him, particularly as senior Canberrans George Gregan and Stephen Larkham have retired from international rugby.

Current assistant Scott Johnson ($4.50) briefly coached Wales, NSW boss Ewen McKenzie ($7) took the Waratahs to a Super 14 final in 2005, John Muggleton ($11) has been with the national set-up as a defence coach since 1997 and the Brumbies' Laurie Fisher ($21) is the Australia A coach.

But the Jones factor - and the question of whether he has support at the board level - has obviously weighed on the othe candidates' minds.

"I'm looking forward to the interview on Friday, it's been a long process," McKenzie said, before adding: "Hopefully we go in on a level playing field, where everyone has got a crack at it."

And Fisher was also mindful of Jones' qualities.

"The difference between skill sets and conditioning of sides is not remarkable ... so often times it's the person who can motivate, who can find that edge ... that's certainly the skills he has," Fisher told AAP.

Howard said the candidates can expect some common questions and some based on the individuals' coaching records.

"They have the ability to present the vision of the Wallabies for themselves," he said.

AAP