Garry Ringrose is not on the Guinness Six Nations frontline but the Ireland centre can't be accused of slacking on his homework.
Having missed the opening three wins over France, Italy and Wales, the Leinster centre is in a race against time to overcome a shoulder injury and prove to Andy Farrell that he's the man for the job when Ireland visit Twickenham on Saturday week.
Speaking yesterday in his role as an ambassador for the National Dairy Council and the NDC Guarantee Mark, the 29-year-old revealed the extent of his injury - picked up while playing against Leicester on 20 January - and, while he was hopeful of finishing his rehab in time, it was certainly not a given, and there's little point in rushing back too soon.
"I guess it's a tricky one. You are always treading lightly or trying to get that right because it’s rarely black and white," he said.
"But even in training and the call to not be available for last week, the medical staff do everything to get it right but they also don’t push it unnecessarily, so they have a really good gauge.
"I have trust in them in what they think and then they also trust me in terms of what I’m feeling and thinking. That honesty gets us to a right decision ultimately.
"Through training hopefully that limit has been pushed, and we’ll get to a point where contact is perfect and I don’t have to think about it and it’ll be no problem. So, that’s what I’m hoping for."
The clock is ticking but Ringrose's diligence is evident.
If he does get the green light from the medics, he'll be first with his hand up in the team meetings when Ireland plot for a fourth successive win over Steve Borthwick's England, who beat Italy and Wales before losing to Scotland last weekend.
"You kind of need everything to go relatively well in terms of different aspects of the game," said the 57-cap international when asked the key to beating the Red Roses, who had a man sent off in their two previous Six Nations losses to Ireland.
"The set-piece has to deliver to a certain level, the scrum and line-out, you have to be disciplined to deny them access into your 22.
"When you enter their 22, it's stating the obvious, but you've got to come away with three or five points, especially now with how they defend you have to be really good with the ball because they'll put us under pressure no doubt.
"So coughing up possession or giving turnovers will be detrimental to us, but probably they fell victim to that a little bit against Scotland with some of them unforced errors but their defence can cause that in teams.
"So it's a bit of everything. The pressure at the breakdown, their intensity, they make you work for everything, and it will kill our attack if we over commit as well, so the breakdown will be huge.
"The kicking battle as well with George Ford, we've seen him rip teams apart with his kicking ability so it's getting the backfield right to deny them access is massive as well.
"So, like any game, it's a bit of everything but over in Twickenham they don't give up much so you just need to be unbelievably clinical.
"We're well aware of that challenge and then also England, whether it’s at home or away, especially the transition they’ve gone through or are going through, they are an unbelievably tough team to play against, and are piecing things together and looking better.
"They’ll be disappointed with the Scotland game but there is so much in their game that's a huge threat and then also a defence to play against, how they are defending now, is different gravy altogether to what we’ve experienced in the last two years you know. Yeah, an exciting challenge ahead."
Ireland are overwhelming favourites to win the championship and, behind the scenes at least, this squad will have their sights firmly set on becoming the first team to win a back-to-back Six Nations Grand Slams.
So is talk of the Grand Slam banned?
"It's not, I don't know…you don’t like getting the cliches," said Ringrose, who also missed last season's final game against England through injury.
"But with an injury you’re just focusing on the next day and trying to feel better the next day than you were the day before.
"Equally winning games in the Six Nations is so competitive so it’s just focusing on the next day.
"That was obvious with France how big a challenge that was going to be and how tough a challenge that was going to be and the lads fronted up.
"Italy again showed by drawing against France in France with their quality, we have a huge amount of respect for the Italians, how they attack, so to hold them to zero was unbelievably because when you analyse their threats, they have threats and structures and attacking play which is better as a team.
"And then Wales you have, when you compare them to the team from 12 months ago, there were only a handful there and they’re at a different stage and you could see how hard they were working for each other the problems they caused to our lads at times.
"So each game, what I’m trying to say, you have to be all hands on deck.
"There is no room for looking beyond the one in front of you.
"Now we’ve England, who are defending differently to how we would have faced in the past and then attacking as well, when we put it together, they are unbelievably dangerous and to look beyond them in Twickenham would be detrimental to ourselves."
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