Wallabies v England: Eddie Jones looks to triple threat in lineout

England coach Eddie Jones looks certain to pick three of his athletic locks to play Australia on Saturday,

England locks George Kruis, left, and Maro Itoje celebrate victory in the Six Nations in Paris last March.

It was another Jones who inspired it — Alan Jones — but England coach Eddie Jones looks certain to have three of his athletic locks in the pack to play Australia at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday, with second-rower Maro Itoje set to start at blindside flanker.

It was the then-Wallabies coach Alan Jones who introduced the rugby world to the concept that God was on the side of the big battalions when he selected the lofty trio of Steve Cutler, Bill Campbell and debutant Troy Coker in the same pack to play in Australia’s first ever World Cup match, against England in May 1987.

Coker played at No 8 that day, as he was to do in the historic loss to France in the semi-final, but ever since then the idea of stacking the lineout with three specialist jumpers has teased international coaches.

Now it would appear Jones has succumbed to the idea, although to be fair the three locks he intends using — Itoje, George Kruis and Joe Launchbury — are all genuine Test threats. Even before the start of the tour Jones had identified that trio, or rather that quartet because Courtney Lawes also is a formidable player, as men who would shine Down Under.

Kruis (198cm, 117kg) has emerged as England’s first choice lock, Launchbury (198cm, 118kg) was — much to his chagrin — named man of the match when England lost to Australia in the World Cup, while Otoje (195cm, 116kg) was a genuine man of the match winner against Wales in the Six Nations.

Itoje’s Test debut was as a No 6 coming off the bench against Italy in Rome in February but he impressed so much right from the start that he played out the Six Nations in the second row.

There will, however, be an inevitable loser in this game of moving players about in the pack and sadly the fall guy looks to be Chris Robshaw.

In many ways the former England skipper is a rare leftover from the days of the Stuart Lancaster era. Someone had to captain England’s doomed 2015 World Cup team but Robshaw did the job with dignity.

It has to be said not too many No 7s would have thrived playing against David Pocock and Michael Hooper that night Australia put England to the sword at Twickenham but against all odds Robshaw has rebuilt his career since that tournament, albeit at blindside flanker.

So well did Robshaw do in that positional switch, made right at the start of the Six Nations against Scotland, that Jones predicted he would finish the season as the best No 6 in Europe. Arguably he did, but Jones clearly feels he needs all of his strike weapons against Australia.

Bit by bit, he has shown his hand, at least with his Test pack, and it is fair to say he has come up with a formidable set of forwards. Dylan Hartley, as captain, will lead from the front as hooker, with Mako Vunipola and Dan Cole the starting props. Launchbury and Kruis will make up an outstanding locking combination, while Itoje will join with opensider James Haskell and No 8 Billy Vunipola to form a highly competitive backrow.

Although the three locks are the least experienced members of the pack, Cheika is expecting nothing less than a pitched ball from England.

“I don’t think the amount of Tests matters … well, it does but you’ve got to start somewhere,” said Cheika.

“I haven’t seen a lot of their players but they’re not picked for nothing. They’ve got to have attributes he (Jones) thinks are going to be able to dominate our pack. He’s obviously got a great set of locks, a really good set of locks.”