There are others whose form has not dipped but at the same time could do with a break. If you are looking at it from a long-term point of view you would say it is not a bad thing for a couple of the more experienced guys, many of whom are running on empty, to miss this tour. Give them the summer to fully recharge their batteries.

It is a big call, but from the perspective of who you want to make it to the World Cup in Japan it could be the right call for someone like Chris Robshaw or James Haskell to say take three weeks off. Of course I don’t think many players would see it like that. Unless you are exceptionally confident you never want to miss a tour because there’s always the fear that someone can step into your shirt and do a job. Then it becomes very difficult to get it back. Even if a coach says 'I am giving you a rest, don’t worry, you’ll be starting the autumn internationals', they very quickly forget that.