Head coach may have nothing to lose in promoting younger players as ageing servants tread water against better teams
Back when Martin Johnson was England’s head coach he often used the same phrase when potentially awkward situations arose. “It is what it is,” he would say before cautioning his audience against getting overly carried away in either defeat or victory. It seldom made for attention-grabbing copy but you could understand it from his perspective. Sometimes there is no instant answer to life’s most pressing questions
It certainly felt that way at Murrayfield at the weekend. Scotland, as most suspected, looked a better and more cohesive side than England. The visitors, again as widely expected, found the Scots to be tougher opponents than either Italy or Wales. Barring a remarkable upturn, consequently, England look set for a below par Six Nations return for the fourth year running.