Rising rugby star Danny Cipriani believes player power at Rosslyn Park has helped him settle at international level after making his England debut at Twickenham on Saturday.
The Roehampton-born 20-year-old came off the bench to win his first full cap in a dismal 26-19 Six Nations defeat to Wales at the weekend.
The former Whitgift School student, who started his career at Priory Lane before switching to London Wasps, endured a baptism of fire as a second-half replacement for World Cup winner Mike Tindall.
Cipriani, a fly-half and full-back for his Guinness Premiership club, was forced into the centres as head coach Brian Ashton's men suffered a first home defeat to the Welsh for 20 years.
The youngster, who played at number 12 for Park, thinks his stint there instilled in him a confidence to express himself that has stayed with him to this day.
And, despite the weekend disappointment, he is eager for another crack at top-level rugby.
"It was an introduction and I enjoyed it even though we lost," he said after a wayward Jonny Wilkinson pass gave him a crunching welcome to the game.
"It has given me a taste for what international rugby is like.
"I am very hungry now and I am going to do what I can, training wise, to hopefully make the 22 next week.
"Rosslyn Park was a big part of my development.
"I got to play with my friends but also with people I wasn't used to playing with all the time.
"It put me in that environment where you always play with new people, which has really helped.
"It was quite player-run there. We had a good back line and we would all put in our own input into matches and training even at young age.
"Park helped me develop as a person and to have my own opinions on the game."
Raynes Park-based Cipriani, who grew up in Putney, joined Wasps as a 15-year-old and, within three years, had made his Premiership debut and lifted the Heineken Cup as a full-back.
He has played much of his recent rugby at fly-half, with many pundits tipping him to replace England legend Wilkinson in the not-too-distant future.
But, for now, he is simply concentrating on bouncing back from the Wales defeat with a win in Italy on Sunday.
"We can't feel sorry for ourselves. We need to fix things because Saturday was not good enough for England," he added.
"We know as a team we have got so much potential and so much experience - we can turn it around and we will do that."
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