England captain Owen Farrell says they have a "deeper belief" in themselves as they look to keep their Six Nations hopes alive with victory over Scotland on Saturday.
Eddie Jones' side must win the Calcutta Cup clash at Twickenham and hope Ireland will have done them a favour by defeating Wales and ending their Grand Slam hopes in the process.
England's Six Nations campaign began well last year with victories over Italy and Wales but they went on to lose their remaining three matches in the tournament as well as the first two Tests of their three-game tour of South Africa.
They have returned to form since the end of last year, however, and Farrell believes greater self-belief in the side is the reason for their upturn in fortunes.
"I think the confidence in what we are doing [has improved]," he told Sky Sports News.
"Not that we weren't confident in the first place but probably [there is] a deeper belief.
"Last year you could see at times, especially on the penalty count, that we became a bit too desperate and tried that bit too hard to get it back when that's not what we need to do.
"We are sticking to what we have been working on and believing in what we are doing and each other and I think we've done that during the course of this tournament."
England have been boosted by Manu Tuilagi's decision to reject a lucrative offer from French side Racing 92 in order to sign a new contract with Leicester and Farrell has spoken about the infectious enthusiasm the Tigers centre has for representing his country.
"The thing I enjoy most about playing with him is how much he loves it, how much he loves being around this place and being out there on the field," added Farrell.
"It looks like it is a real privilege for him, as it is for all of us. You can tell by the smile on his face."