IT is good to be back home again!

Being with England for the last month has been a great experience but I missed the lads, missed the craic and missed the club.

You are in quite an enclosed environment at Pennyhil and it has been mentally quite tough.

It's always a bit difficult when you go into a new environment. The banter is not the same and it's like going to a new club again.

But it was pleasantly surprising and they were a good set of lads. Having said that, it would be hard to replicate the sort of thing we have got here at Worcester. It's the sort of place you want to come to even when you don't have to.

We've got so many great characters and it's hard to be away sometimes.

I was really pleased with the way it went in the three games I played for England. They play a similar brand of rugby to Worcester -- pretty physical up front -- which made it a little easier.

But now I want to refocus on getting back into club life as quickly as possible, immersing myself in it and getting back on the park as quickly as possible.

I'm really excited about playing again to be honest. Generally at this time of year, the weather starts to get colder, the training sessions become harder, you pick up a few knocks and that just makes everything a little harder.

But getting away for a few weeks in a different environment makes you long to come back. I feel refreshed mentally and I am in really good condition physically. I haven't picked up anything while I was away.

It won't be difficult to motivate myself. Even though I'll be playing in front of 10,000 people rather than 50,000, it's 10,000 Worcester supporters, which is a bit different.

It's a great experience and a great place to play and I can't wait for it.

The players have been brilliant while I have been away, not least at the weekend. To go down to Franklin's Gardens and get a result, even if Northampton's form isn't fantastic at the moment, is a big achievement.

The way the guys battled towards the end of the game was something else and it's the one-point victories that you look back on at the end of the season and it's how many of those you convert that really make the difference. It's a huge result and sets a very different tone going into the Powergen and Europe.

Johnny Tuamoheloa has come in and he has been fantastic and put his body on the line every week. It makes a difference to the whole team when you've got players putting their body on the line. He's been fantastic and he's shown great commitment.

I imagine some of the boys will be rested against Newport on Saturday and they have earned a bit of a rest.

I think we're getting to the stage now, where we can afford to rest some players and still get results.

I think that is perhaps one of the huge transitions we've made from last year.

Tom Harding arrived this week and we're looking forward to seeing him go. It just adds to the strength of the squad. We are not halfway through the season yet and everyone is going to be needed at some point.