Ben Youngs: Determined not to experience more Grand Slam heartache

Ben Youngs believes England's failed Grand Slam bid in 2011 will stand them in good stead to complete the job this time around.

Scrum-half Youngs was part of the team which carried a perfect record into their final match of the competition against Ireland in Dublin two years ago.

But it was the hosts who came out on top on that occasion and Youngs will be eager to avoid a similar outcome when England bid for Grand Slam glory against Wales at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

"You learn from experiences like that, certainly there are a few guys from that day who are now involved with the squad again," Youngs told Sky Sports News.

"I'm sure we don't want to feel like that again. Sometimes you have to lose one to win one, hopefully that will be the case this weekend."

Memories

England kicked off their campaign in 2011 with a memorable victory in Cardiff on a Friday night and Youngs says he has fond memories of the Welsh capital.

He added: "It's a tremendous stadium to play in, I have (great) memories (of 2011). It's an honour to play in that stadium and the crowd is how it is.

"I think everyone is just really looking forward to it, it's come down to the last game for both teams and we've got to go out there and try and win the game."

Despite the pressure firmly being on the visitors Youngs is confident that the England set-up will ensure the mistakes of two years ago are not repeated.

"There are a huge amount of level-headed guys and the coaching staff will make sure we're prepared for any game and we don't get ahead of ourselves," he said.

"We know we've just got to win the game at the weekend. If we train well and train hard then hopefully the performance will take care of itself."