Ben Youngs insists coach Eddie Jones was the key to England’s Grand Slam success at the recent Six Nations, admitting the self-belief the Kiwi instilled in his players was decisive in helping them overcome their World Cup heartbreak.

The Leicester Tigers player featured in all of England’s fixtures in the tournament, jostling with Harlequins’ Danny Care for the number nine shirt.

England’s performances showed a remarkable improvement under Jones’ guidance, and for scrum-half Youngs, the former Japan coach’s confidence in his players proved to be pivotal in turning their fortunes around.

“One thing Eddie is fantastic at is giving the team belief and individuals self-belief, making you feel good and the team feel good,” said Youngs, who was at Bridgnorth Rugby Club to give a half-time team talk as part of LV=’s Inspiration campaign which celebrates human stories from within rugby throughout the 2015/16 season.

“That was one thing that I thought was excellent, and also understanding what is best for our team in terms of how we want to play, and at times we really showed we are a front-foot team.

“When we were going at teams we looked very dangerous and Eddie made sure that we played to our strengths.

“Eddie wants us to express ourselves and play a quick, high-tempo game, and that suits a lot of our players.

“That was one of the main things he brought in, coming up with a game plan that suits the English style and adapting it according to the players that he’s got.

“He was able to do that and I think that is what allowed it to look like we had freedom because the guys were able to express themselves and they were backed.

“Along with the belief that Eddie kept giving us as a side, we felt that whenever we went out there we could really do something and punish teams, and that balance really did help.”

March’s Six Nations triumph resulted in England winning their first Grand Slam in 13 years, an achievement that seemed nothing more than a dream six months ago when the team crashed out of the World Cup.

But since Jones’ arrival at the England helm, the team’s prosperity has changed, and Youngs admits there was no better feeling than lifting the silverware.

“In terms of being in the England shirt, winning the Grand Slam was fantastic,” he said.

“There are a few of us in the squad who have had heartbreak along the way so to finally get a trophy and win something like that was great.

“It really felt like it was an obstacle that we have got over now and that experience will really help us.

“In some games I think we produced some outstanding stuff so I couldn’t be happier and because it was in an England shirt, it was a huge career highlight.”

Returning to the Leicester fold following the Six Nations journey will take some time to get used to, Youngs admits, but with a push for the play-offs well and truly underway, he can afford little time to relax.

Tigers enter a pivotal rivalry game with Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens this Saturday on something of a high after an incredible performance saw them hammer Stade Francais 41-13 in the European Rugby Champions Cup quarter-final last weekend.

And with Leicester’s Aviva Premiership top-four hopes on the line, Youngs knows there is no room for error in the East Midlands derby.

“It is that time of year, we have three must-win games now and we want to be competing and we want to be getting into the semi-finals so we will be doing everything we can,” he said.

“It is unfortunate that we’ve got some pretty key members of the squad out injured at the moment. There are some old, experienced heads there but we are where we are.

“We don’t want to be part of a Tigers side that comes up short.”

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