Anticipation is building ahead of Steve Borthwick's debut as England head coach on February 4, and the squad is benefiting from a "new excitement" running through his first camp.
England reunited as a squad at Pennyhill Park on Monday evening and participated in their first training session under Borthwick at Twickenham the following day. It's the first time the Red Rose has got together since Eddie Jones was axed in December and replaced by the former Leicester Tigers boss.
And already the effects of that change are becoming apparent as Lewis Ludlam said he and his team-mates have "full trust" in their new commander-in-chief ahead of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations. Borthwick may be only two-and-a-half years into his journey as a head coach, but his success in fostering an open work environment may already be one edge he holds over his predecessor.
"It’s been really enjoyable," said Northampton Saints back-rower Ludlam. "We’re just getting to grips with things that have changed. The set-up has changed quite a bit and so has the way the week is set up. It feels like there is a new excitement around the team and a slight change in focus.
"The main difference is how we’re talking about the way we want to play. I think we’re getting a real clarity and the emotional connection as well. We want to be a team that works hard for one another. There’s been a lot of focus on that over the last three days."
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England are coming off the back of a hugely disappointing 2022, where Jones signed off his seven-year tenure with just one win from their four autumn internationals. Having won just five of their 13 games across the year, it was apparent in the team's turgid performances that change was needed for results to improve.
The refreshed atmosphere has been likened to club rugby following reports of serious tensions some players felt under Jones. Ludlam added everyone in the current squad is "feeling positive going forward," an upbeat tempo that some might argue had been missing from previous camps.
His words also echo the sentiment promoted by new defence coach Kevin Sinfield, the Leeds Rhinos legend who has followed Borthwick to Headquarters following a successful stint together at Leicester. Far removed from the often serious psyche put in place by Jones, Sinfield recently told BBC Sport "friendship and memories" outweigh any achievements on the field.
"We will provide an environment where there is clarity, but also there is a togetherness and a fight and a spirit where they look after each other and care for each other, and that is really important to us," said the 42-year-old, who has raised millions for motor neurone disease (MND) research after best friend Rob Burrow was diagnosed.
"Hopefully [the players] don't have to go through what I have had to go through with Rob for them to feel that [what he's been fortunate enough to feel]," added Sinfield. "But I think if they can understand that the things that are important in your career - you can have a load of money and a load of medals but ultimately the friendship and the memories are what is really, really important."
England are due to host Scotland in their first match of the 2023 Six Nations and hope to get off on the right foot following disappointing campaigns in each of the past two years. The Auld Enemy has lost its last two meetings with their neighbours to the north, giving Scotland a chance to clinch three consecutive wins over England for the first time in half a century.
