After plucking a blade of Twickenham grass as a kid, it’s incredible I play there

MY GRANDAD took me on a tour of Twickenham when I was young.

I was a bit rebellious back then, and so I ignored the Keep Off The Grass signs and plucked a blade of the green stuff from the pristine, hallowed turf.

That piece of grass had a root attached to it, and my Grandad took it home, planted it and kept it in a plant pot at home for years.

That Twickenham grass had pride of place, and now I get to play at the home of English rugby, which is quite frankly incredible.

To be able to call this my job is something very special, something I love and absolutely would never take for granted.

There could be 50,000 or even more people at Twickenham tomorrow, for our Six Nations match against Ireland.

The first time I went to Twickenham was for a Barbarians game, and I could have been as young as six. My friend Tom and I spotted Jeremy Guscott in the old car park, where players and families would gather after matches.

We went and asked him for a picture and he signed a few things for us. I’ve told him about that in recent years and we’ve had a chuckle about it.

To go from those formative Twickenham experiences to leading England out in a Six Nations match, well, it means everything.

Sometimes before kick-off I can look around the changing room and there is nothing more to say. That can be so powerful.

But tomorrow deep in the heart of England’s — our — historic home I will probably say: ‘there are thousands of people here, and they are here to watch you, so get out there and play with a smile on your face’.

Our head coach John Mitchell has created an environment completely different from any other Red Roses set-up I’ve ever been in.

His motto is GGE — Guaranteed Great Experience — and he is as big on enjoyment and making memories as he is chasing excellence.

We are at our best with big grins on our faces, and that is right where we want to be tomorrow.