Why waste your breath venting your spleen over something that was agreed months ago? That's what the rugby world's asking of Saracens director of rugby Eddie Jones, who's suddenly voicing off against the RFU's policy of insisting that members of England's Elite Player Squad be rested for one game ahead of the start of the Six Nations.
Under the deal struck by the RFU and the Premiership, members of the EPS have to be excluded for selection for one out of the three Guinness Premiership games taking place between December 20 and January 4.
What's got Jones' goat is that the regulation means he'll be missing his captain, Steve Borthwick (pictured above during his Bath Rugby days), for Saturday's match against Gloucester at Kingsholm. Jones says he'd be more than happy to rest EPS members during comparatively 'easy' European Challenge Cup fixtures, but believes the Premiership requirement does nothing to boost player conditioning and hinders teams from reaching their goals.
"Steve's welfare is not being helped by sitting out this match but it would be by sitting out a European Challenge Cup game," complained Jones.
"Why do England have a rule that takes their best players out of the main domestic competition?"
While you may be sympathetic to the content of Jones' argument, it's difficult to be sympathetic to his timing.
This agreement was signed months ago, so why has Jones waited until the final minute before issuing his broadside?
Like all the other head coaches in the Premiership, Jones was alerted to the regulations well in advance and has had plenty of time to plot his squad management accordingly.
Just as with the Experimental Law Variations, the regulations are the same for all teams in the contest. It's no good whinging about them. Instead, coaches should acknowledge them, digest them and deal with them.
And that, mercifully, is Steve Meehan's pragmatic approach.
"You don't want to waste energy on something you can't change," he said on Tuesday. "Perhaps there will be a chance in the future, but for the moment you've just got to get on with it."
The Bath head coach's composure in the face of the EPS regulations is perhaps due in part to the fact he'll be missing just two players on Sunday because of them: Lee Mears and Matt Stevens.
Moreover, the way Pieter Dixon at hooker and the battalion of Bath props are playing at the moment, it's arguably a loss he can easily absorb.
In short, the strength of Bath's starting XV – in contrast to some other Premiership sides – will only be slightly affected by the EPS regs. No wonder Meehan is able to remain in a festive mood.
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