England captain Chris Robshaw (right) and Wales skipper Sam Warburton pose with the new Six Nations trophy.

England captain Chris Robshaw believes a winning start against Wales will be key if the Red Rose want to be crowned RBS 6 Nations champions this year.

Stuart Lancaster’s side open up their campaign at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on February 6 as they look to win the tournament for the first time since 2011.

England and France were both in contention to lift the trophy in the final round of fixtures last year but each were pipped to the post by Ireland, who secured the Championship on points difference.

“Going down to Cardiff is huge for England, it’s one of the terrific stadiums in world rugby so it’s a great place to go and play,” Robshaw said.

“Every team wants to go and win the tournament – you don’t want to fall at the first hurdle, you want to get off to a winning start. All the attention is on that first game.”

Wales, who lost 29-18 to England at Twickenham last year, endured a disappointing Autumn Series but drew encouragement from a 12-6 victory over South Africa in their final game.

“After the November series, a lot of the lads’ attention turned straight to the England game,” said Wales captain Sam Warburton. “Two months seems a long time but there’s already been a lot of focus and build-up to the match.

“The players sense that from the media and the public. Walking around Cardiff, it’s what everyone is looking forward to.

“It’s being thrown straight into the deep end, I quite like that.

“Playing England first up is brilliant. It’s one of the biggest games we play in as a player and for those guys involved it will be a big milestone in their career.”

England’s preparations has been disrupted by injuries to Owen Farrell, Joe Launchbury and Ben Morgan, who are expected to miss the tournament.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland insists his players must focus on themselves and not be distracted by England’s injury problems.

“England have so much strength in depth,” Gatland said. “We have to make sure we don’t get distracted by that sort of chat.”