With England struggling to live with the very best sides, I suspect Eddie will be back at the drawing board looking for ways to unlock the potential of his side. There are enough England-qualified players of world-class quality in the Premiership for him to be able to launch a realistic challenge for the next World Cup, it is now a question of selection, direction and the rub of the green with things such as injuries and form.

The problem for Eddie may not be so much the strength of the Premiership clubs as their distinctiveness. Among the 13 teams he gets to choose from, there is a huge array of tactical approaches. At one end you have the defensive teams who constrict opponents, with Exeter Chiefs and Sales Sharks dominating possession through their pack, while Saracens’ wolfpack defence has always squeezed the life out of teams. Leicester Tigers play a game constructed around a hugely effective kick-chase, while Gloucester base their scoring potential around the most effective line-out drive in English club rugby.

At the other end of the spectrum are the four attacking and counter-attacking sides – Harlequins, Northampton Saints, Wasps and London Irish – which can lacerate defences from anywhere on the pitch if they can win front-foot ball. In between those two poles are a variety of attacking and defensive styles, but the essential point is that no two sides function in quite the same way.

In many ways, Eddie is suffering from the curse of all England coaches, which is a surfeit of choice. But he should also remember that those England coaches who have been the most successful – Geoff Cooke and Sir Clive Woodward to name two – have done so by ensuring a continuity of selection above all else. That means deciding how you want to play, and sticking to it, which it is not clear England did during this Six Nations.

Push is now coming to shove. There are three main batches of Test matches to come – the summer tour to Australia, Tests against Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa in the autumn, followed by next year’s Six Nations. Eddie still has plenty of time to adjust how he wants to play, and to try out new partnerships in his attempt to forge a winning England side for 2023, but there is now no time to lose.

Continuity and chemistry are the key to bringing out the best in England.