Chris Robshaw says that winning the Grand Slam will never wash away the pain of the World Cup, memories of which will remain with him forever. As captain, Robshaw bore the brunt of the criticism for England’s woefully early exit from the tournament – painted as “the villain of the piece”, in the words of the new head coach Eddie Jones.

Robshaw also wondered if he would have a role to play under the new regime, which was not wholly surprising given that Jones himself had made unfavourable remarks about the flanker in newspaper columns during the World Cup.

Yet the Australian was won over by Robshaw’s strength of character as well as his willingness to knuckle down to a different position after moving from openside to blindside flanker. Indeed, the coach singled him out as his England player of the tournament.

For Robshaw, though, the glory and satisfaction are self-contained. The 2015 World Cup will always be a fundamental part of him. “It will be a scar that I will wear for a long, long time,” he said as he prepared to return to club action tomorrow against Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens, for which he will be on the bench.