With a youthful squad and a new coaching set-up, headed by former Ireland full-back Conor O’Shea, Easter is confident that Quins’ have what it takes to be the dark horses of the upcoming Aviva Premiership season.

A successful preseason campaign has seen the south-west London club win all three of its warm up games, conceding just one try in the process. However, despite an air of optimism in the squad, 32 year-old Easter and his teammates will banish any thoughts of complacency heading into Saturday’s opener with Wasps at Twickenham.

Easter said, “It’s going to be a different kettle of fish when we come up against Wasps who are experienced campaigners, especially at the home of English rugby; but in terms of our preseason results, it couldn’t have gone any better.”

As one of the senior players at Quins, Easter realises the importance of a good start and will be hoping a win on Saturday will set the tone for a successful campaign.

“Last year was tricky; with all the (‘Bloodgate’) issues in the summer and a man sent off in the first game, it wasn’t a great start,” he added.

“But now we’ve got a guy at the helm who has given us direction and rekindled our passion and belief in the style of rugby we want to play. We’re a young team, but if we do get a good start, then I think we’re in a very capable position.”

On the international front, Easter’s own form is something he will also be focussing on in an attempt to cement his position in England’s back row and guarantee his place in the squad for next year’s World Cup.

Following a successful tour to Australia, Easter, a stalwart in the England team in recent years, is keen to make winning with England a more frequent occurance.

He said, “I want to help England win on a much more regular basis instead of one-offs. The atmosphere amongst the squad is as good as I’ve seen it, but you are judged by what you do on the pitch so come the autumn, we’ve really got to hit the ground running.”

Easter was speaking about his year ahead during an interview about sporting memorabilia and his links with London-based company SJ Dent & Co.

The England man collects his own pieces of memorabilia by often swapping shirts with opposition players. “I’ve switched shirts with players from most nations. I think its only Wales and Scotland I am missing,” he said.

But it is another of his sporting passions that interests him most when it comes to famous sporting items.

“I’m a massive golf fan so the ultimate piece of memorabilia for me would be the flag from the 18^th green at Augusta National, although it’s obviously quite hard to get hold of!”

“If I’m looking for a rare piece in pristine condition, I look no further that sjdent.com as they have items you’d never think you could get hold of.”

To view SJ Dent & Co's online collection of memorabilia visit their website www.sjdent.com. You can also receive a 5% discount on any purchase by entering the code 'Promo1'.

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