Steve Borthwick cut a relaxed figure after naming a settled England team for Saturday's Calcutta Cup on Tuesday. 'Everybody alright?' Borthwick asked the assembled media, before poking light-hearted fun at a journalist.
On the face of it, his selection for Scotland lacked anything too gripping. Returning captain Maro Itoje and hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie come into the starting XV and Fin Smith replaces namesake Marcus as the three changes to the squad that hammered Wales.
But scratch beneath the surface and the 23-man party that will run out in white at Murrayfield is packed full of intrigue, both with this weekend as well as the 2027 World Cup in mind.
Borthwick has placed significant emphasis on having players who can play in multiple positions and after naming Ben Spencer and Fin Smith as his only two back-line replacements for Scotland, he revealed that he was entirely happy with his lot.
Borthwick believes back-rows Ben Earl and Henry Pollock can cover the inside centre and wing positions respectively, and indeed proved him right at times last week against Wales. He emphasised that Smith, a specialist No 10, has also trained to play in the midfield and that Henry Arundell and Tommy Freeman are full-back cover should Freddie Steward fall lame.
Borthwick's 6-2 bench selection might seem like a risk. But England have prepared for every possible scenario.
- Henry Pollock has drifted out to the wing late in games, only denied a try last weekend by Wales flanker Taine Plumtree's high tackle - resulting in a penalty try
- Ben Earl got a score of his own last weekend and has been popping up in the centres as Steve Borthwick shuffles his pack in the second half of matches
- Borthwick emphasised that Fin Smith, a specialist No 10, has also trained to play in the midfield
'These are all permutations we've trained and we work them all through and make sure we're well prepared for all of them,' Borthwick said. 'Also, as you'd expect me to, I understand the probability of each and every one of them happening.
'It's a privileged position to be in to have players of such quality. To have the ability to play multiple positions and have that level of athleticism is really important.'
At the next World Cup, Borthwick will only be able to select 33 players, and versatility is key. Earl finished the Wales game at centre and Borthwick's selection for Scotland raises the tantalising prospect of wonder boy Pollock playing on the wing in the Six Nations.
Pollock and Earl are referred to as 'hybrid' players in rugby today. They have the physicality to play in the pack, but also possess the pace of backs. South Africa's centre-cum-flanker Andre Esterhuizen is another example.
'He's got incredible pace and super handling skills and you see not just his ability to make breaks,but how he supports breaks,' Borthwick said of Pollock, who is set for his seventh cap in Scotland - all of which have come as a replacement.
'How often do you see him on somebody’s shoulder taking an offload and then running on and scoring or potentially giving another offload for somebody else to score?
'His skill set and the way he plays the game is less within a structure and more within having a freedom to roam to go and find the ball and where he needs to be. I’m very confident with him in that position.'
Borthwick likes having multiple back-row forwards on the field at the end of games. He is aware that in tight matches, he may need his team to win back possession by competing hard at the breakdown. That is why he has introduced Pollock and Tom Curry regularly from the bench, often alongside Guy Pepper and Earl.
Borthwick's England leave no stone unturned in terms of their preparation - something which has played a key part in their 12-match winning run
England finally ended Scotland's four-match winning run with victory in the Calcutta Cup last year at Twickenham
But England have won just once at Murrayfield in the last decade
England leave no stone unturned in terms of their preparation - something which has played a key part in their 12-match winning run.
'The World Cup point is a really important point,' Borthwick said. 'I love having back-rowers on at the end of games, which you saw again at the weekend. As soon as we felt there was a need to get one of the backs off, it was really simple to move Ben out into the centres and we had played with four back-rowers at the end of the game, which is terrific.'
As they prepare to head to Scotland - where they haven't won since 2020 - England are confident, in fine form and seem to have every eventually covered for. The signs are positive. Now it's time for a statement away victory.
ENGLAND XV to face Scotland: Freddie Steward, Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall, Henry Arundell, George Ford, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Joe Heyes, Maro Itoje (capt), Ollie Chessum, Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl. Replacements: Jamie George, Bevan Rodd, Trevor Davison, Alex Coles, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer, Fin Smith.