Saracens full-back Alex Goode believes the heartbreak of England’s early World Cup exit on home soil has helped spur English players to greater heights this season. England became the first host nation in World Cup history to bow out in the pool stages following defeats to Wales and Australia at Twickenham.That prompted the Rugby Football Union to part ways with head coach Stuart Lancaster but his successor Eddie Jones has helped revitalise the English game leading his side to Englands first Six Nations Grand Slam title since 2003, earlier this year. English teams have built on that success in Europe with five teams progressing to the European Champions Cup quarter-finals and three - Saracens, Wasps and Leicester - progressing to the last four.Goode said to Sky Sports News HQ: Maybe with the English sides, there was an element of frustration from the World Cup. Players just wanted to get out there and play well.I think over the last couple of years there has been a few unlucky sides who have come just short. Last year (Saracens) came just short in the semi-finals by a very fine margin. (English rugby) hasnt just revolutionised over a couple of months but it is great to see English teams doing so well.There were five in the quarter-finals and it sets a good precedent at the moment. English teams are doing well and the Grand Slam was fantastic. Hopefully year on year, teams get better and better and we can keep pushing. Wasps forward James Haskell thinks their European Champions Cup semi final against Saracens will be more like a test match At least one English side is guaranteed to contest the final at the Grand Stade de Lyon on May 14 with Saracens set to meet Wasps in the semi-finals at the Madjeski Stadium on Saturday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD.Sarries have come agonisingly short in this competition in recent seasons, losing to Toulon in the final two years ago and coming up just short in the last four, against Clermont 12 months ago.While those losses were painful, Goode feels they will stand to help Saracens when they meet Wasps.We are lucky because we can draw on some big experiences over the last few years, Goode said. We have had some semi-finals and finals. We have grown as a team quite a lot.We talked about how we didnt start as well as we could have against Northampton but hopefully we have rectified that and we will come out of the blocks nice and hard in this game. Joe Launchbury says Wasps wont change their style of play when they face Saracens in the all-English semi final of rugbys European Champions Cup The last time these sides met on February 14, Wasps pummelled Saracens on their own ground as they ran in eight tries en route to a 23-64 victory at Allianz Park.That game fell during the Six Nations however, when both sides were without their international players, and Goode feels the outcome will be different this time around.They are a very dangerous side, Goode admitted. We are under no illusions. We have got a lot of respect for how they play and what they did at Allianz Park.But we also know we are a top side. We have been here before. We can bring something to the game which other teams cant bring either.We will be very focused as to their individual threats that are very dangerous but as a collective unit we are hoping we can get on top and hopefully get a victory. 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Cheap Marlins Jerseys Authentic . -- John Senden never imagined it would take more than seven years to win again.EUGENE, Ore. -- Oregon centre Hroniss Grasu jokes about how he should have planned ahead: His apartment lease ran out, so hes staying in a hotel while the Ducks prepare for the national championship. Kidding aside, living out of a suitcase is just fine with Grasu because it means he gets to play in one more game with the Ducks. While quarterback Marcus Mariota is the unquestioned leader of the team, Grasu is its anchor. Both players decided last year at about this time that they would return for another season at Oregon. Asked this week about what it would feel like to win next Monday night when the Ducks face Ohio State for the title, Grasu said that he honestly hadnt considered it yet. Im not thinking about what it would feel like if we win a national championship, Im just thinking about what Ive got to do to get this team in the best position to win, he said. Well just do whatever it takes. The 6-foot-3 senior, who is just shy of 300 pounds, is considered one of the best players at his position in the nation and a top prospect at centre for the NFL draft this spring. Hes always been a perfect fit in Oregons hyper-drive offence because hes quick and agile despite his size. Going into the season, it looked like Oregons offensive line -- which helped Oregon lead the Pac-12 in rushing, scoring and total offence last season -- would be a force with five returning starters. But then left tackle Tyler Johnstone injured his right knee during fall camp and was declared done for the season. Jake Fisher moved over from right tackle to take Johnstones spot and junior Andre Yruretagoyena took over at right tackle. That is until Yruretagoyena injured his foot against Michigan State in Week 2. Then Fisher hurt his knee against Wyoming the next week, leaving the Ducks with inexperienced options at tackle for games against Washington State and Arizona. Mariota was sacked 12 times over the course of those two games. Then tackle Matt Pierson went down with a left knee injury late in a victory over Stanfordd on Nov.dddddddddddd. 1. Grasu himself missed the final two regular-season games, against Colorado and Oregon State, after hurting his lower left leg on Nov. 8 against Utah. There wasnt one injury that I didnt have faith in the coaching staff and the players that they werent going to step up. It was just, Whos the next guy? Theyre going to step up. There was never any doubt in my mind that our team, our players werent ready or our coaching staff wasnt ready, he said. Grasu returned to play in the Rose Bowl playoff victory over Florida State, although he said he didnt do as well as he would have liked. Hes like that, always trying to figure out how to get better. I could have been a little more physical but we got the W and thats all that matters to me, he said. But I felt good, I could move, I could run. Right now Ive got to get healthy again and get ready to go. Grasu, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, became Oregons starting centre as a redshirt freshman after beating out Karrington Armstrong for the job. At the time, then-coach Chip Kelly said the best compliment he could give Grasu was that he never had to think about him. Grasu is just as important to the Ducks off the field. Twice hes been honoured with the teams Todd Doxey Award for the player that best represents the spirituality, dedication and brotherhood associated with being an outstanding teammate. The award is named after the Oregon defensive back who drowned in an accident shortly before the 2008 season. Over the past three seasons, he has developed an almost symbiotic relationship with Mariota. It seemed natural that when Mariota decided to stay for another year, Grasu did too. But it wasnt about a national title back then, and it isnt now -- although that would be an added bonus. Grasu wanted his degree. And another year with his Oregon brothers. I didnt come back for unfinished business, to win a Pac-12, Rose Bowl or national championship, he said emphatically. I came back to be around this group of guys. 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