Add to this equation the children whose families don't have adequate health care and may come to school with problems such as untreated ear infections, alongwith a constant parade of youngsters suffering from scrapes, falls, and upset stomachs.
While the public at large may not know it, the members of the public employee unions have been suffering through these hard times right alongwith workers in the private sector.
All four players have joined the England squad on their pre-Six Nations training camp in Portugal, alongwith Leeds flanker Hendre Fourie, who is being assessed by medics after suffering a calf injury in Sunday's game against Bucharest.