England head coach Stuart Lancaster is hoping the comforts of home might help to bring a little normality to his quest for World Cup glory in 2015.
Lancaster is well aware of the pressure he and his players will be under as the hosts attempt to lift the Webb Ellis trophy for just the second time.
However, he is hoping a break from the intensity of the competition could prove crucial to their chances of success on home soil.
Lancaster, who was speaking in host city Newcastle as he marked the start of World Cup year, said: “It’s quite hard for all of us to understand the impact.
“The event this evening, just speaking to the guys about the interest in Newcastle on an evening like this probably brings it all home, so when the clock ticks to 2015, for all of us life will be different.
“But the one thing I would also say is I remember reading an article when I was in New Zealand in 2011 that Dan Carter had written about the advantages of being in a hold World Cup where actually, whilst the intense scrutiny in massive and the pressure is huge in terms of home expectation, you can get home.
“You can get out of the bubble of the World Cup, on your day off, you can actually physically go home, you can see family and friends and have a bit of normality in your life, so actually being in England in one way raises expectation, but in another way, allows the players to get a little bit of normality as well.
“I know when I arrived in 2011 in New Zealand, it’s a long way from home when you are in the middle of that intense period, so that’s one thing to our advantage, and obviously just having the home support as well will be a huge thing for us.”
Meanwhile, Lancaster revealed he would speak to hooker Dylan Hartley about his disciplinary record after the Northampton Saints forward was suspended for three weeks for elbowing Leicester’s Matt Smith. He said: “I have not spoken to Dylan. I did not want to do anything until the disciplinary process was followed through.
“He knows as much as anyone the importance of on-field discipline. He will have56 been disappointed in himself to put himself in that position. I will have a conversation with him.”