Manu Tuilagi said his long-awaited return in England's 37-18 victory over Australia Saturday felt like his first cap for his country.
The England centre was a 69th-minute replacement for Henry Slade and the substitution was met with rapturous cheers from the Twickenham crowd.
Tuilagi's call-up from the bench marked his first international appearance in two years due to a horrendous run of injuries.
In an interview with Sky Sports after the game, Tuilagi said: "Coming on in the last ten minutes [was] very exciting. Especially the crowd, [there was a] big roar when [I] came on. It felt like it was my first cap again.
"I enjoyed it, especially with the performance we put out there as a team, we take that forward to next time.
"You get some dark moments, the boys are amazing but your mind has to be positive and then your body will follow. You've got to try and be positive, even if, with me, getting injured a lot.
"I missed it, I forgot what it's like and it's an amazing atmosphere."