The Wales No 7 was a winner on his last trip to the home of English rugby when he helped his club to win the Premiership title against Saracens two years ago. That Tigers team was coached by current English boss Steve Borthwick
The current England side contains Freddie Steward, Ollie Chessum and Dan Cole, who were all teammates of his when Leicester won the title. This weekend things will be different, though.
“There has been no chat from the Leicester boys this week, which is a surprise. I was expecting to get a bit of stick,” sad Reffell.
“There is always massive history behind this game and it’s something we all look forward to. We can’t wait for it.
“We need to start quicker than we did against Scotland. We can’t come here and wait for things to happen – we need to impose ourselves.
“I’ve played against a lot of their players in the Premiership and know their qualities. But the URC is also a great tournament and so it works both ways.
“Like us, England are in transition, but I know that any Steve Borthwick team is going to be physical. I worked with him at Leicester and I know he likes a simple game plan – but one all his players can get behind with real intent.”
Borthwick will also know the impact Reffell can have at the breakdown and his battle with Sam Underhill could be crucial to the outcome of the game. The Welshman topped the turnover count against the Scots with three steals.
“As a No 7 you are judged on how you do in the contact area, but we need to impose ourselves more in that area this week,” he added.
“It’s a massive game for both sides and a win will be incredibly important. We need to go out there with confidence, try to impose ourselves and play in the right areas.”
