Lawrence Dallaglio's immediate retirement from Test rugby is a bonus for England as head coach Brian Ashton prepares to announce his RBS 6 Nations squad.
And I mean that in the nicest possible way.
The 35-year-old Wasps warrior will be remembered as a great England player, now and always.
A World Cup winner with 85 caps, his place at the legends' table alongside people like Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson and Jeremy Guscott has long been reserved.
It is though, time to move on.
Ashton will unveil a 32-man group next Wednesday for the Six Nations campaign, applying the final touches following this weekend's Guinness Premiership action, which includes a mouth-watering west country derby between leaders Gloucester and second-placed Bath.
But had Dallaglio still been around, his presence would have overshadowed the occasion - whether he'd been selected or not.
Dallaglio's post-World Cup criticism of Ashton - among the most regrettable rugby events in 2007 - meant the red rose boss might have endured a tricky couple of days.
Ashton faced being damned if he picked Dallaglio, or damned if he didn't. Now though, he doesn't have to give a damn.
That is no disrespect to Dallaglio, it just all means England can make a fresh start as they build towards a difficult Six Nations campaign which features successive away games against Italy, France and Scotland.
So, what will Ashton come up with 11 weeks and four days after England's last game - the 2007 World Cup final in Paris?.
It could be that a third of his 30-man group required for England's rollercoaster World Cup ride won't be climbing back on board.
Dallaglio, Jason Robinson and Mike Catt have exited the Test arena, while scrum-half Shaun Perry and flanker Joe Worsley are both injured. Elsewhere, Josh Lewsey, Andy Farrell, Jamie Noon, Perry Freshwater and Lee Mears might all miss out.
Much is being made of England's new generation, a thrilling young talent crop that suggests the future is in safe hands.
But Ashton is no fool - far from it - and one can realistically expect to see a slow, careful integration of these individuals with the tried, tested and successful England regulars.
The prodigiously-talented Wasps fly-half Danny Cipriani is likely to head a small group of uncapped players, which could also include Sale Sharks scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth, plus the highly-rated London Irish forwards David Paice and Nick Kennedy, together with Leicester number eight Jordan Crane.
England desperately need a young challenger to George Chuter and Mark Regan in the hooking department, and 24-year-old Paice's many admirers believe he could be the answer.
Lock Kennedy, one year older than Paice, is consistently among the most prolific Premiership suppliers of lineout ball, hardening his reputation in an Irish pack now among the most streetwise around.
Crane, meanwhile, is developing rapidly alongside the likes of Martin Corry and Lewis Moody at Tigers.
And then there is Wasps back-row star James Haskell.
Capped last year, Haskell is now ready to stake his claim as a key England figure - and possible future Test captain - by surely starting against Wales at Twickenham on February 2.
As for the England skipper in that game, Ashton could find himself moving away from World Cup leader Phil Vickery.
Current form suggests Vickery faces a huge battle to keep out Bath prop Matt Stevens, who enjoyed a productive World Cup, and with guaranteed selection being the first proviso for any captain, it could be that Ashton hands Wilkinson those duties.
Elsewhere, club performances suggest Gloucester pair Iain Balshaw and James Simpson-Daniel should find themselves back in the mix.
Discarded early from Ashton's World Cup plans - chiefly due to both players' frustrating fragility in terms of injuries - their game-breaking qualities remain intact and are surely worth another look.If selected, Balshaw will contest the full-back position, although some judges feel Newcastle's Mathew Tait is already booked for that shirt, with Leicester centre Dan Hipkiss partnering Toby Flood in midfield.
On paper, it should be a squad to excite and enthuse, but after four seasons without a Six Nations title, England need to deliver where it really matters - on grass.
My squad: Backs - Balshaw (Gloucester), Abendanon (Bath), Strettle (Harlequins), Cueto (Sale Sharks), Sackey (Wasps), Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester), Tait (Newcastle), Hipkiss (Leicester), Flood (Newcastle), Barkley (Bath), Wilkinson (Newcastle, capt), Cipriani (Wasps), Gomarsall (Harlequins), Richards (London Irish), Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks).
Forwards - Sheridan (Sale Sharks), Payne (Wasps), Stevens (Bath), Vickery (Wasps), Chuter (Leicester), Regan (Bristol), Paice (London Irish), Shaw (Wasps), Borthwick (Bath), Kay (Leicester), Kennedy (London Irish), Haskell (Wasps), Corry (Leicester), Moody (Leicester), Rees (Wasps), Easter (Harlequins), Crane (Leicester).
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