Thinking back to Saturday, the defeat to Ireland remains a huge disappointment. We were very close to getting the right result and it would have been nice to finish the Six Nations Championship with victory in front of our home supporters. The action was fast and sharp with quick play of the ball and we started well with the try from Jamie Noon, but Ireland are very good defensive side and were able to come back at us.

You always try to start well and keep the score ticking over. It helped us on Saturday to take the lead. If you don't, as we saw against France, then you end up chasing the game. I haven't watched the video of the match, but there was an element of doubt with all three of Ireland's tries. Those types of decisions are out of the team's hands and you can only hope that they go your way. If they had, we would be celebrating a victory.

I am not making excuses, because you trust the officials to make the correct decisions. As a team we lost out on set-piece ball and that was just as crucial in the outcome of the game.

I was replaced by Matt Dawson towards the end of the match and it's always a disappointing experience to be taken off. But what can you say about Dawson? He is such an experienced player. I have started four out of five games and been replaced with ten or fifteen minutes to go. I accept it as the coach's decision which is for the best of the team.

There has been criticism of the squad and the management during the Six Nations but all we can do is try to improve as a team and look at the things we need to change to win matches. Martin Corry, the England captain, is also my captain at Leicester and I know what a great leader he is.

I hope to remain a part of England's international set-up but right now I am not even thinking about the tour to Australia in the summer. Yes, I would like to be on it, but there is a lot of rugby to be played before then. If my form is good for the rest of season then I would hope to be involved. There are some very good players at scrum-half out there who will be fighting for places. Guys like Peter Richards at Gloucester, Shaun Perry at Bristol and Paul Hodgson at London Irish are all strong contenders. I will just continue to work hard for Leicester and see what happens.

It's been a mixed season for the Tigers and I am really looking forward to the two matches we have with Bath in the Guiness Premiership and European Cup, respectively. They are huge games for the club and I hope to be able to contribute to our success there.