With a disappointing autumn behind him, Ugo Monye returns to England's wing hungry to make his mark in 2010.

From away games at Sedgley Park in the rain to a Lions Test in little over two years, you know how to bounce back, what is the key?

Thankfully, I have really good friends and a very positive family. Along with my strong faith, they helped me through the hard times and I have always had self-belief. You have got to remember the level at which you played your last game and then come back with renewed hunger. It is important to be a positive influence when you get reintegrated into the squad. England's discipline was the major downfall at the 2009 Six Nations.

Is that a problem that has now been eradicated?

It's tough to win a game with 15 men, let alone 14. We need to change our perception of how we go about winning. If anything it's that people are too eager at breakdowns and players get frustrated. We have talked about it and I think now we are trusting our defence a bit more and keeping cool heads.

Do you still get nervous playing for England?

You get such a buzz when you get on the team bus and see all the flags. Then you run out at Twickenham and there is an eruption of noise. It's not so much nerves for me, it's excitement about pulling on that jersey and playing well for your country. It can be difficult to keep emotions in check but if you prepare well, all you have to do is make sure you are focused.

How do you rate England's chances this spring?

I believe we have a great squad and with the World Cup on the horizon, if people can continue to achieve then we can upset a few people in the Six Nations and be true challengers in New Zealand next year.

There will be a few of the lads who were involved in the embarrassing defeat to Wales at Twickenham two years ago, does that provide extra motivation to beat them?

That's a big enough game as it is. It's a fact that they won at Twickenham two years ago but that was an isolated incident. If anything, it is more motivation to play well, but every game is another step towards achieving the goal which is to win the Grand Slam. But France in Paris looks tough on paper and the Scots will be keen to put up a fight at Murrayfield, especially now they are under Andy Robinson. France are such a passionate country and they will be out for revenge after we thumped them at Twickenham last season. I believe that wherever we travel, if we play to the best of our ability then we are a very hard team to beat. We certainly won't be daunted by travelling to Paris in need of a victory, it would be a very exciting prospect. With regard to Scotland, I never played under Andy but a lot of the lads did and it will be interesting. It will add another dimension to what is already a massively competitive game.

It was clear that the 2009 Lions party became an incredibly close knit group, how difficult will it be to put that camaraderie aside for 80 minutes in February?

I can't wait to smash the guys, the [Lions] tour was the best experience of my life which is testament to the coaches who created a great environment and to the players who are very selfless. They made it easy to be part of a great atmosphere. I learned a lot about myself and I have brought my experiences back to Quins and England. It helped me to step up, to be a leader and a better player.

How difficult was it to bounce back from being dropped for the second Lions test?

It was awful. Within three days I went from the pinnacle of my career to the pit of it. There have not been many opportunities when I have had great chances and not finished them but when I did, it was at the highest level which I am gutted about. The third Test was a test of my character and I think I bounced back well.

100m in 10.6 seconds aged 16 is pretty fast, do you ever think what could have been or are you happy that you made the right decision?

I think playing for the British & Irish Lions underlined the fact that I made the right decision. I absolutely love rugby and I wouldn't change it for anything.

You are very public about your faith. How important is it to your game and injury setbacks?

Without my faith and my family I would be a different player and certainly a different person. It has helped me through the bad times and helped me to stay grounded through the good times. If you have a settled life I think you are a better player and I have a very settled life with Christianity as a focus.