It was a throwaway remark by Chris Robshaw that suggested there was more to Dan Cole than met the eye, more than the stereotypical image of a tight-head prop whose IQ matched the number on his back.
In January, the England captain had shared a room with Cole and discovered that the Leicester front-row forward possessed an impressive intellect and a “brain bigger than a rugby ball”.
At Pennyhill Park, Cole sits on a wrought-iron chair on the hotel terrace and, when appraised of Robshaw’s remarks, shifts a little uneasily.
Is it true? “Well, I am reading quite a bit of Noam Chomsky,” Cole says. “I know it’s a bit out there, a bit different.”
When one wonders whether some of the England squad ever bother to open a book, it is an interesting revelation. How does the veteran American philosopher, historian and scientist trigger the interest of a 24-year-old rugby player?
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It leads to a discussion on United States foreign policy, the role of democracy, the Arab Spring and sundry other topics far removed from the mechanics of scrummaging.
“I read a lot about the Middle East and its politics,” he says. It transpires that his parents lived for a while in Abu Dhabi. “The dynamics of the region fascinate me, from its birth to the period when the British and Americans carved it up after the two world wars, and the politics of how people stay in power. There is always a different side to the story which interests me.”
You sense that he might be less than enamoured with how Britain and America go about their political business and their apparent desire to instil their version of democracy on the world at large.
“It is now so charisma-based,” he adds. “In Britain political leaders come from the same mould, same education, same school. In South America you get men from the street. It would be rare now to get a guy come through from a working-class background in the system here.”
If it all sounds a bit radical, he makes no apologies. He comes from the school of straight-talking, where honesty and integrity are characteristics that he values. They are the watchwords, too, that underpin Stuart Lancaster’s regime.
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Cole has become an increasingly important cog in the England machine. He has featured in all but one of England’s past 28 internationals since making his debut against Wales in 2010. In the aftermath of the World Cup, Cole realised that it was down to people such as him to take responsibility and show leadership.
His stock gave him a strong bargaining position when considering his future at Leicester and whether to sign a new contract at Welford Road or test his market value. Saracens were rumoured to be interested should he have decided to leave this summer. His restlessness and frustration stemmed from the club’s rotation policy between him and Martin Castrogiovanni.
“I wanted a level of respect,” he said. “My previous contracts were signed when I was an academy player and hadn’t been capped. You want something that reflects your stature. You have to find that balance of where you are. You don’t want to be undersold, but you understand the case that good teams stay together because they want to play together and not because of money.
“You want to play in a competitive side and play regularly. You want to be involved in big games. I have sat on the bench for Leicester in three Premiership finals. It is your career and you want what is best for yourself.
“I accept if ‘Castro’ is playing better than me, then he plays because it is best for the team. But you want that honesty. If I am playing better, I want to play. That is only fair. Cockers [Richard Cockerill, the Leicester director of rugby] has said that will happen.”
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Having been satisfied on both fronts, Cole signed on for another three-years.
He is part of an England front row that has developed well during the RBS Six Nations Championship. The performance in Paris on Sunday was particularly satisfying.
“We got momentum from the set-piece and that is what we came here to do,” Cole says. “With five minutes to go, we were nine points up, then they scored. They were tense times. It shows the character of the squad that we were able to hang in there and get a result.
“Considering where we were at the start of the tournament, with the media on top of us and a new side coming together, it would be a nice finish to beat Ireland. We are a young side with three away wins and want to perform at home now. We all know how good a feeling it is to play at Twickenham.”