With the Six Nations kicking off on February 4 there will be a few scores to settle after the World Cup in New Zealand.
England's disappointing quarter-finals exit to runners-up France has stung the players and interim coach Stuart Lancaster has been handed the reins in a bid to turn that around.
"If we can harness that energy that the players have got, alongside the support people - the people behind us - and then the nation itself: that's a powerful force."
Aviva Premiership Player of the Season Tom Wood said the squad was full of energy ahead of their opening match with Scotland.
"It's all there for us - there's a lot of energy. A lot of guys eager to pull the shirt on and prove their worth," Wood said.
"We don't need any extra motivation for this game. We're up for it, we've got a lot to prove and, you know, we're excited about it."
For Wales meanwhile, the World Cup could have been the ultimate launching pad for their talented young side, but events conspired - injuries and the sending-off of captain Sam Warburton - to see them bow out to France 8-9 in the semis.
"We had a very young side out in New Zealand. Everyone's happy with the way we performed, disappointed that we didn't go on and even felt a little bit cheated by the circumstances," coach Warren Gatland said.
"It's a matter of putting that behind you and looking forward to the next four years and the next cycle towards the next World Cup and that starts with the Six Nations - and it's an unbelievable tournament. And I'm excited about it, and I'm sure the players are as well."
Warburton was similarly upbeat after the disappointment in New Zealand.
"I think the squad around me helps me - the way the boys are playing. That's the kind of style I like, to be honest, and guys like Rhys Priestland and George North have come into the squad and they're brilliant players on the loose."
"From a sevens point of view it's quite easy to pick a line off their shoulder and, often, other players can make you look good. So I think credit's due to the whole squad, really, for the way that they've been playing as well."
They will face Ireland in the opening game, a side they bundled out in the quarter-finals at the World Cup and their captain Paul O'Connell wants revenge of their own.
"Our first game up is the Welsh. We lost to them in the World Cup so we're not really in a position to be able to look beyond that," O'Connell said.
"So that first game is massive for us if we can get a win there, we'll be going very well and it will get us off on a great foot and we'll hopefully move on from there."