Eddie Jones has revealed the Wallabies are considering following the lead of Australia's world champion cricketers and resting key men from future Test matches.

With George Gregan and Stephen Larkham returning from long injury stints in Saturday's Test against Italy, Jones said it was crucial the pivotal pair remained fresh in the lead-up to the 2007 World Cup.

The Test coach told AAP there was a strong case to manage their playing and training loads in much the same manner the Australian fast bowling attack are rotated in one-day cricket.

Australia's cricket selectors have been panned over the controversial "rotation policy" but Jones said there was definite merit in the practice, especially considering rugby's physical demands.

His revelation comes as Larkham said he was feeling "as mentally fresh as ever" and virtually committed himself to extending his current contract, which expires after 2006, through to the World Cup in France.

Jones called the injuries to 32-year-old Gregan (broken fibula) and 31-year-old Larkham (broken forearm) "blessings in disguise" which would benefit their long-term futures.

"Sometimes we have to enforce spells on them to ensure they can keep playing because what we can't afford to do, as any country, is lose 180 caps of experience in one go," he said of his almost-unreplaceable duo.

"We'll certainly look at managing their loads.

"It's a bit different in cricket you can play for 11 months but in rugby to be up (mentally and physically) for 11 months is a long time."

Asked whether that meant a rest from some Tests, most likely during end-of-season northern hemisphere tours, the coach said: "I wouldn't discount that.

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