I’m loving playing in this Six Nations – but it’s good to have a week off too...

It was great to get man-of-the-match but it would have meant nothing without the win

My body really felt it after the Scotland game (Getty Images)

Test rugby’s a brutal business and after two games in the space of six days your body’s acutely aware you’ve been to war. The intensity and physicality is on another level completely from the Premiership and in the days after the Scotland game I’m not remotely ashamed to admit that my body felt every one of the tackles I’d made in the match.

Some games you make three or four tackles at most and then others you’re right up there in terms of the tackle count. Saying that, I think getting up to 21, as I did in the previous round against Ireland, must be the most I’ve ever made in a single game of rugby.

And while I felt battered in the immediate aftermath of facing both the Irish and Scots, that sense diminishes fairly quickly with simple recovery, further aided by the added bonus of a week off from a match this weekend. It is not that the intensity of training sessions drops off in any way – far from it, in fact – but there is time off to rest and recuperate.

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday were days off. That’s when you get the chance to switch off from the intensity of it all but also to rest the body and work on any niggles you might have to ensure you come back revitalised for the France game on Friday night.

Personally, I’m feeling very refreshed. Much of that is down to the break I had from the game. Whether that’s making me play better, I have no idea – I’m just really enjoying myself.

We never panicked with defeat staring us in the face

This week might have been a completely different picture altogether, and with it the mood very different in the camp.

An hour into the game against Scotland, we were staring down the barrel of a defeat. After the draw against Ireland, there was the very real prospect of two games without a win and us essentially being out of the Six Nations Championship hunt.

But we came back right into the game and scored two good tries for a vital win, which I believe is testament to the experience of our side. There was no panic and we got the result, even if the overall performance can definitely improve.

I’ve already written about my disappointment at the Ireland draw but six days on I think we erased that against Scotland. We’re not the finished article – for the past few weeks, like every team in this Six Nations, we’ve been finding our feet – and I certainly feel there’s room for improvement, but we’re heading in that direction.

It was great to get on the scoresheet in the win over Scotland and to come away with the man-of-the-match award was a pleasing bonus, but it would have meant nothing if we’d not got the win and I genuinely think that award could have gone to a whole host of players in our side.

I give everything in every game, but I can get better

From a personal perspective, I’m never entirely satisfied with my game. I back myself as a player and I know I have the backing of my fellow players and coaches. But that doesn’t mean I’m completely happy with where I am as a player. I don’t believe I’ve peaked; I give everything I have in every game but I still think there’s more to come.

I know there are those that say going to play club rugby in France is a negative for a player, but I don’t agree with that in the slightest. For me, it had completely the opposite effect – it was just a huge positive.

I’m of the opinion that what makes you a better person also makes you a better rugby player, and that’s very much a key aspect I took from my time playing for Racing Métro and living in Paris.

It’s helped me to understand the game better, to have a different slant on it, having previously been a one-club man, and the same goes with the first few months I’ve spent at Harlequins. I get the feeling both experiences have added more skills to my game, and Quins play a very expansive game, which is a facet of my own play I’ve been looking to improve on.

Look, I’m a big guy that adds physicality to the side, whether that’s as a ball-carrier or a decoy runner or whatever, really. It’s something I take pride in – after all, this isn’t touch rugby we’re playing! It’s about hitting the gain line and getting over the opposition try-line. It’s not rocket science, after all, and it’s key that I play my role in any team.

My goal every training session and every match is to become a more complete player, to add more of an attacking approach and to improve my kicking skills. That’s something I’m perpetually working on.

Beating France can set us up for a huge Twickenham trip

Obviously, two wins from two would have been the goal at this point in the tournament but we’re still unbeaten and we’re still in the hunt for the championship, which makes next week’s game against France huge.

If we win – and we back ourselves to do that – then it makes the subsequent trip to Twickenham absolutely enormous.

Friday night rugby is one of the great experiences in our game, particularly at the Millennium Stadium, as a player and as a fan. I expect the place to be absolutely rocking, with the added ingredient of the coach ride into the ground in the dark. I’m not sure why, but it adds something special to the whole occasion.

And then there’s the small matter of Wales v France, usually a great encounter and one I’ve been on either end of in the past.

It’ll be my 33rd consecutive Six Nations start, although I’m not too obsessed with numbers – that one’s more for Mum and Dad, really. From my point of view, it’s about winning against France and halting what’s been a honeymoon period for them under their new coach Guy Novès.

England seem to be enjoying a similar renaissance under new coach Eddie Jones and what lies ahead for us in the next two weeks is absolutely huge. The next 24 hours are a final chance to catch my breath and go at it once again.