It is anticipated that the former flanker, who is presently Oyonnax’s head coach in France, will be available for the November internationals.
El-Abd, 44, has emerged as the front-runner for the position in the wake of Felix Jones’ unexpected retirement last month.
The Allianz Stadium in Twickenham will host England’s next Test matchup against New Zealand on November 2.
Since then, he has established an outstanding coaching career on the other side of the Channel, starting with Oyonnax and moving on to Castres before taking the helm at Oyonnax once more.
El-Abd and Steve Borthwick, the England manager, were roommates at Bath University and are close confidantes.
Stormers coach Norman Laker and former England assistant coach Paul Gustard were both well-known.
As things stand, Jones will continue to be a member of the coaching staff, at least temporarily, even though El-Abd is anticipated to be ready for England’s training camp at the end of October.
Although Jones is expected to be in great demand following his back-to-back World Cup victories with South Africa, he is now serving his 12-month notice period after his resignation. A prospective employer has not yet purchased Jones out of his contract.
El-Abd played more than a hundred games for Bristol in the 2000s. He also had spells in the Welsh Premier League with Caerphilly and in France with Toulon and Oyonnax.
