Joe Heyes says the Leicester Tigers players view every week as a fresh challenge regardless of recent form.
The tighthead prop, who celebrated his 22nd birthday this week, was central to the forward pack’s supply of the platform for victory over Newcastle Falcons last Saturday which moved Tigers into a European Challenge Cup semi-final and made it five wins from the last six games in all competitions.
“It was a great game to be involved in,” said Heyes, a Tigers Academy graduate.
“There were a couple of errors that let them back in, but overall it was a dominant performance from the team.
“It is the bread and butter of the club – the power of the scrum, the lineout, maul – and the forwards take great pride in that.
“Tom Harrison has done a great job with the scrum and it is certainly a focus for a tighthead.
“It went well against Falcons but every week is a new challenge and you move on and focus on the next game.”
Now with more than 60 first-team appearances under his belt, Heyes says he is improving his game under the guidance of Steve Borthwick and the coaching team.
“Since Steve came in, I feel I’ve picked my game up,” he said. “Aled Walters has made me fitter and stronger, and I’m feeling good.
“From a player’s perspective, the only thing you can do is keep training as hard as you can and put in performances that the fans and the players take pride in.”