Calum Green admits, while good, it was a "weird" feeling to have fans surrounding the Leicester Tigers squad again in the season-opener at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
Speaking from the club's Oval Park training ground as preparations continue for the first away trip of the 21/22 campaign, Green said: "It was a bit weird, especially in that warm-up period as we have just been warming up in empty stadiums for so long.
"But, once we got in to the game, it felt like we were back to some sort of normal and it was just great to have Tigers fans on all four sides of the stadium again, cheering us on."
Looking back on the opening round win over Exeter Chiefs at home, the Leicester lock admitted it was a case of being both pleased and disappointed immediately after the full-time whistle.
"We were obviously happy to get the win but we are aware there are a lot of areas to improve on us a team," said Green.
"We gave away some silly penalties, which allowed them to get in to our half, and were really disappointed in the way we conceded at the end of the game."
However, happy or sad, the experienced Tigers forward said the switch of focus to the "next job" for he and his team-mates was the overwhelming feeling before anyone had left the home changing room at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
"You make your assessments, Steve [Borthwick] has a chat and then you get on with the next job," said Green of the post-match reaction in the room.
"It is a new week, we are under no illusion that last week's result doesn't matter going to Gloucester on Friday night."
When asked of the mood ahead of the trip to Kingsholm, he added: "It's their first home game of the season and, they lost to Saints in Round 1, so they will be chomping at the bit on Friday night.
But honestly, for us, we are worrying about ourselves and concentrating on what we can do as a team. We look at how we can improve; we can be smarter, we can be better disciplined and I think we can be a bit more ruthless."
On his own performance in Round 1, after a slow-start to the pre-season programme while recovering from an injury sustained during the final weeks of the 20/21 season, the unassuming Leicester second-rower says it is all about the job he can do for the team up front.
"I have never been a flashy player, I like to think I do the nuts and bolts of my position pretty well and am a consistent player," he said.
"I just like being on the pitch and being out there, helping however I can and if that means not doing the not-so-nice-stuff, then let me at it."
Steve Borthwick names his matchday squad on Thursday (September 23) at 12.00pm for the trip to Kingsholm to play Gloucester on Friday night.
