David Strettle cuts a confident figure with his rock star haircut and devastating finishing, but the England winger revealed he is driven by a constant fear of failure.
Strettle, 23, is sure to be one of the first names on Brian Ashton's team-sheet for next weekend's Test against South Africa after a stunning breakthrough season.
Not that he would ever believe it.
``You can only start expecting things when you feel comfortable,'' Strettle said.
``I am starting to feel like a first-team player at Quins but that is not the case with England. The day I expect to be picked for England will be a strange day indeed.''
Strettle's trait for negative thinking was identified by a sports psychologist and has actually proven a valuable asset as he tries to put his rapid rise to prominence into context.
Barely 18 months ago, Strettle was a National League One player with Rotherham. Shortly before that he was burning the candle at both ends as a student at Sheffield Hallam university.
This season Strettle has played for the England Sevens, the England Saxons and Ashton's senior Test team, scoring a memorable try on his debut against Ireland at Croke Park.
He was a key figure in England's famous win over France, helped newly-promoted Harlequins qualify for the Heineken Cup and won inclusion in the Premiership's team of the year.
To cap it all he was picked for the summer tour and then voted the Professional Rugby Players' Association young player of the year - ahead of Tom Rees and Shane Geraghty.
Fortunately, Strettle has a head for heights.
``I have been told I am a negative thinker but it is sometimes a strong thing to be in sport because you are always pushing away from failure,'' he told PA Sport.
``I don't doubt myself but I am afraid of failure and that means I want to succeed. ``Whenever I go out on the park - whether it be for Lymme, where I used to play, or Rotherham or Quins or England I am scared of failure. I want to go and succeed.
``It is a strange way of looking at your sporting life. But I have always thought like that and it was nice to have a psychologist turn around and say 'you are not crazy, it is quite normal'.''
Negative thinking is a trait most common amongst individual sportsmen, like golfers or tennis players.
But Strettle is not alone as a rugby player. Jonny Wilkinson, for example, has always been driven by the fear of missing his next kick or the prospect of making a bad pass.
``The feeling I need in order to be content that I have achieved something is to sit in the changing room after the game and know all the team are sitting there looking at me thinking 'he is a good player, he did his job today','' Strettle explained.
``That is the best feeling you can have in rugby in my opinion.
``If you go and win a World Cup medal and play poorly you will not appreciate it as much as other players.
``When I was sat there is the changing room after the Ireland game and the France game, I felt the players were looking at me with that little bit more respect. And that is what you want.
``It is why getting voted young player of the year by the people I play against was so special.
``To walk in changing room and sit in between Jonny Wilkinson and Andy Farrell, players who have proven themselves on the international stage, it is only natural to doubt yourself and think 'should I be sat in this changing room?'
``But it drives you on to prove it to them and to yourself.''
Nevertheless, Strettle is in line to play against the Springboks on Saturday in the heat and altitude of Bloemfontein.
He said: ``If you had asked me at the beginning of the season whether I would be going on the tour to South Africa, I would have said: 'Yeah, maybe as a fan'.''
Ashton is without some 40 players for the tour but Strettle was keen to play up the importance of the venture.
``When you are a sportsman you very rarely get your opportunities through any other reason than injury,'' he said.
``It is normally out of your control and so it is for the players to take that on board and realise there is an opportunity to succeed and push for places at the World Cup.''