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Danny Care is remarkably upbeat for a member of the most reviled club in the professional rugby world. The Harlequins and England scrum-half has seen one of the most famous names in the game left discredited and humiliated by the Bloodgate scandal, which revealed Quins, under ex-director of rugby Dean Richards, had faked blood injuries on five separate occasions.
With Richards banned for three years, physio Steph Brennan out of the game for two years and full-back Tom Williams serving a four-month ban for his part in the faked injury against Leinster last season, Quins find themselves under intense pressure going into tomorrow's Twickenham clash with London Wasps.
The "Double Header" also sees London Irish take on Saracens at the home of English rugby which is only a short walk away from the Twickenham Stoop, scene of the Leinster incident, and the Rugby Football Union are determined to put clear water between the rest of the game and Quins.
A Task Group has been set up to try and ensure the faked injury scenario can never be played out again under their jurisdiction and the boos and catcalls will be waiting at Twickenham for the first Quins player to need treatment against Wasps.
Care is a bubbly character and a key player in a Quins team that finished second in the regular Guinness Premiership campaign last season but that seems a very long time ago. Now, the Quins squad have huge ground to make up in the full glare of public scrutiny.
The 22-year-old admitted: "We haven't talked about the kind of reaction we are going to get from opposition fans and the most important thing is to stay tight as a team. We will stay together no matter what is thrown at us and it won't matter what they say.
"Teams may think that we could be under pressure because of everything that has happened to the club this summer. In some ways, all the controversy has taken some of the pressure off us and if people think we are going to struggle to perform, then it will allow us to prove the critics wrong. I don't mind if they think we are going to be underdogs in matches.
"We have such a great group of lads here at Quins and what has happened has only brought us closer together and the unity is fantastic."
After their recent upheavals under head coach John Kingston, Quins need to win to ensure the controversy does not become an even greater millstone and matching - or even bettering - last season's results would be a tall order after a normal summer, let alone one that has so deeply affected the club.
"We are desperate to improve on what we achieved last season, finishing second in the Premiership and getting to the Heineken Cup quarter-finals," said Care. "Some people may think that's unrealistic but we want to hit the ground running against Wasps on what should be a great occasion.
"After the success we enjoyed last season, opponents will be looking to close us down and the challenge is to find new ways of unlocking defences.
"I know that we are all going to go out and enjoy ourselves on the pitch which is the main thing and we showed that last year. You cannot switch off in any game at this level and if you do then whoever is in competition for your place, at club or international level, will jump ahead.
"Leicester's Harry Ellis made the Lions tour and I relish the competition with him and Paul Hodgson for the England scrum-half position and you need that pressure at this level."
Serge Betsen has called on Wasps' new-look back division to rediscover the cutting edge that the team lacked at times last season against Quins.
Wasps' Achilles heel last term was their failure to win close games. An inability to convert chances they created and a lack of accuracy at crucial times was the main reason why they could only finish seventh in the Guinness Premiership.
But they have added firepower to their squad this summer with the signings of wings Tom Varndell and David Lemi, while centre Steve Kefu has joined from Castres. With England fly-half Danny Cipriani looking confident and striving to pick up where he left off at the end of last season, Wasps have a backline that will strike fear into the hearts of their opponents.
Flanker Betsen said: "When we break defences, we need to score more tries and make the difference.
"Last year, we lost a lot of games by one point or two points. We have to score more tries than last year.
"We have to be more efficient in our play. But it's great to be working with these newcomers in the squad who have come in and want to improve and continue to build on the spirit we have at Wasps."
