The rematch is still seven days away but Tom Wood is ready to rumble already. "We want to use the disappointment and the hurt from that day to our advantage," says England's highly motivated flanker, desperate to rid himself of the "embarrassing" memories of last year's heavy defeat to Wales in Cardiff. "We need to make sure it fuels everything we do. I'd be lying if I said we didn't still carry an awful lot of hurt."
Seconds out, gumshields in. Sunday's Six Nations reunion at Twickenham feels like the kind of boxing contest where the contender and the champ need separating at the weigh-in. Welsh fans would clearly love a repeat of last year's record 30-3 triumph but Wood's bristling body language underlines England's desire not to succumb to a similar sucker punch.
The trick, as the Northampton forward is quick to emphasise, is to strike the right balance between controlled physicality and the red mist of indiscipline which will benefit the Welsh team in general and their ace goal-kicker Leigh Halfpenny in particular. "There's going to be a lot of talk of revenge and redemption and whatever else," says Wood. "We've got to be careful to use that in the right way. If you get caught up too much in one-on-one battles or the hurt of last time, you can unravel yourself.
"It's about ensuring that your determination not to let it happen again filters through into all your preparation from now until the game. It's not just about going out on game day with fist clenched, thinking you're going to somehow extract revenge. We know we've got to be driven by performance. I don't think it's about putting a picture of Justin Tipuric's head on a dartboard."
His rival back-row Tipuric, of course, was among the architects of the Millennium mauling, a tiring England side being blown away in the second half by a home team who inflicted some painful physical lessons. Wood, who was playing at No8, has had 12 months to reflect on that contest and still believes it was a one-off.
"For one reason or another we got caught out on the day and ended up with a pretty embarrassing scoreline. I don't think we were bullied. There were just some hugely significant momentum swings within the game.
"I particularly remember Manu [Tuilagi] going through a big hole. On any other day he catches the ball and nine times out of 10 goes under the posts because of who he is. Not only did he not catch the ball but it bounced to them and they kicked it 60 metres downfield. I think we may even have carried it off the pitch and given them a lineout in our 22.
"Suddenly you've handed them a huge amount of territory and possession and [the noise levels in] the Millennium Stadium go through the roof. I think we just got a little shell-shocked. We were caught in the occasion and didn't know how to get a grip on the game.
"Eventually the dam broke and 30 points came very quickly. It was a pretty harsh lesson so I am looking forward, hopefully, to reciprocating."
The 27-year-old Wood also says England will go in this time conscious of Wales's tendency to raise their game to a different level when they face their neighbours in games of this magnitude. "You watch them playing two weeks before against somebody else and think: 'That's manageable, we can deal with that.' You do your analysis and make your plans and then they come out with 5% more urgency and aggression in everything they do. That goes a long way.
"Last time so much was on the line. England were in town at the Millennium Stadium, looking for a grand slam, on pretty good form. They had perhaps had their name dragged through the mud a little bit and not played as well as they could. But when it comes to an occasion like that they have world-class players and they put it together." Is that simply a consequence of their age-old desire to beat the English? "They play on a huge amount of emotion when it comes to playing against England. It's a compliment, I guess," replies Wood dryly. "I hate everybody equally so it doesn't really matter."
Several England players, Wood included, are also looking to show that more of them should have been involved on last summer's Lions tour. "It's not for me to run around trying to get my opposite number, because then you are not doing what's right for our team. But when your opportunities come, it would be nice to take them and hammer them home.
"We want to get our game on the field and, if we do that effectively, a lot of their threats will be irrelevant. I actually think it's good for us they're going into this game on the back of a big win [over France] at the Millennium Stadium. It changes the mindset a little bit." For England's pumped-up forwards, Sunday afternoon cannot come soon enough.
