Six Nations 2016 - England vs Wales: England redraw line-out plans to throw Wales into confusion

The match kicks off at 4pm on Saturday

George Kruis (top), in action against Ireland, says the playbook has been expanded (REX)

It was, perhaps, one of the most heartbreaking line-outs in England’s rugby history. Trailing Wales 28-25 in a crucial World Cup pool match last September, Stuart Lancaster’s side opted to go for glory.

Rather than kicking a penalty to claim a draw, the ball was punted into the corner and, with a line-out five metres from the Welsh try-line, a roar from the Twickenham crowd signified the belief that a priceless victory could be secured in the dying minutes. It did not go as planned.

From a throw to the front the English pack was shunted into touch – just like their World Cup dreams. Defeat followed and the fate of the host nation was sealed against Australia one week later.

Wales return to the scene of that famous triumph this Saturday, but their opponents this time have a rather different look about them. Eddie Jones has replaced Lancaster as head coach, with Paul Gustard and Steve Borthwick the Australian’s deputies.

The latter’s task has been to transform the England forwards into the “brutal pack” Jones desires and part of that entails developing a line-out that was so exposed in the final moments against Wales in the autumn.

It has held up so far during this Six Nations, but the fixture with Warren Gatland’s side on Saturday will be a true test of how far it has evolved since the World Cup.

“We do a lot of work with the players, putting them into different scenarios. All we are asking of them is to make the right decisions at the right time,” said Borthwick. “We have to have the players in those situations in training so they are as prepared as possible come match day.

“That’s in all areas of our game, making sure that they have felt the pressure, the chaotic nature of Test match rugby, within training. There have been changes. When you’re analysed as much as we are you must make sure that around the set piece you have that variety, find new ways to attack, new ways to defend, painting different pictures for the opposition. I’m clear about where I want to get to and clear about how I integrate that into the forwards.”

Part of that development is an expansion of England’s options at the line-out. The playbook has not been torn up, merely expanded, with second row George Kruis explaining how the team can have “anywhere between 20 and 50 calls” for a match.

So as England welcome Wales to Twickenham once more, do England now have the ammunition to show them something they haven’t seen before? “Well that would be telling,” said Kruis. “We are trying to get to a new place in our line-out and, obviously, that involves a lot of detail and learning, trying to push the boundaries.

“I guess if you do what you’ve always done, you get what you always get. We are trying to strive for the best and we are confident we will get that. We train different scenarios so that when you come to game time you make that right decision.”

England have made one change to their squad, Luke Cowan-Dickie coming in for hooker Jamie George, whose biceps injury could keep him out for 10 weeks.