Saturday 1 February 2020 15:51, UK
Tom Curry has taken tips from Billy Vunipola and David Pocock to ease his adjustment to number eight, but the England back row will still play to his own strengths.
Curry was one of the stars of last autumn's World Cup, his ferocious defence and power in the carry identifying him as one of the game's most potent flankers.
But Sunday's Guinness Six Nations opener against France in Paris is his first start at number eight after Vunipola was ruled out of the tournament by a broken arm.
Curry has been chosen over Lewis Ludlam and Ben Earl to fill the void created by Vunipola's absence and the 21-year-old has turned to his England team-mate and Australia great Pocock for guidance.
"I don't think my game changes massively because of this. I want to stay true to myself," the 2019 world player of the year nominee said.
"An eight will get into different positions to a six or seven so there might be a few more opportunities to carry and I may be in the backfield a bit more.
"I've analysed players, so how Pocock moved to eight, how Billy carries at eight.
"Billy's work-rate and how he thinks about the game - I've analysed them and take things from them, but at the same time I want to do what I'm good at.
"As a team we need to go at France from zero to 80 and must be relentless. Every tackle, every carry, every clean-out has to be done with the fullest intent we have."
