Steve Borthwick continues to fixate on the idea that England were written off before the Rugby World Cup even started.
With each win here in France, the head coach has reminded everyone listening that some people said his team would not progress from the pool stages.
But the deeper England go, the stranger the continued rhetoric.
Especially as, in most cases, the pre-tournament predictions only stretched as far as stark warnings. Most critiques centered around the notion that should England play as they did in their three defeats in four warm-up matches, then emerging from Pool D would have been a tall order.
That is quite different from tipping England to fail spectacularly in France.
Borthwick knows the difference. There is no way he is not smart enough to appreciate the nuance. Frankly, it is not such a subtle distinction.
In their own way, England and Borthwick even said exactly the same as the very commentary that appears so galling to him.
Borthwick and his coaches did not hide from the fact performances were not good enough in August. They also said the level would have to raise in France.
All that has happened. But as predictions go, this is hardly Nostradamus territory.
Hard-grafting wins over Argentina and Fiji have bookended the tournament so far, with the rest a mixed level of entirely required and expected victories.
There is seemingly no need for Borthwick to hold on to any pre-tournament predictions, especially now England have hit their competition par.
The players do not need a siege mentality to shine, and the coaching staff have generated a close-knit group without creating any axes to grind.
Less than a year after slipping to ninth in the world rankings, England are the only northern hemisphere side left.
Now is not the time for niggle. Just look at the joy-pain paradox that so characterised the Paris quarter-finals — that is what awaits England on Saturday. Ireland and France exited stage left in defeats by New Zealand and South Africa, but their performances yielded nothing but praise and respect.
England need all their energies focused on stepping up to similar levels this weekend, and not on anything resembling a quest for vindication.
The Springboks are dangerously narrative-free in this tournament, and if a team led by Rassie Erasmus not needing to resort to sub-plots does not set alarm bells ringing, nothing ever will.
All England need to do is write their story on the pitch. Bin any other script this week, and deliver their magnum opus in Paris on Saturday night.
