Wing-heeled Ealing pivot Jordan Burns pledges to pile the psychological pressure on London Irish as he plots a route back into the Premiership.
Burns, one of the fastest No.9s in English rugby who briefly shone at Harlequins before dropping down to join Bedford in 2015, is set to sign a new contract with Ealing as the ambitious West Londoners ramp-up their promotion drive.
He told The Rugby Paper: “I was a young No.9 at Harlequins and didn’t have much experience, so when Bedford came in, it gave me a chance to play lots of Championship rugby.
“I only missed five games in three years and that helped me a lot, and joining Ealing last summer gave me a chance of kicking on into the top-flight.
“At 25, I feel I’ve got a lot of growth left in me and I’ll look to achieve that over the next couple of years. Ealing’s a very ambitious club, very professional and with big plans for the future; we’re striving to reach Premiership standards.”
Four scintillating tries from Burns helped Ealing dispose of Cornish Pirates a fortnight ago and book a Championship Cup final against London Irish.
He now wants a trophy double, adding: “You’ve got to keep fighting on two fronts and the league and cup are both very important to us.
“We want silverware at the end of this season and we want to keep putting pressure on Irish in the league. If we keep winning with five points, they have some difficult away games coming and if they slip up then it’s game on again.
“Every team has a bad day and psychologically it’s important we keep nagging away at them and put a little bit of doubt in their minds. If we are still in the contest going into the last game against them, we could then try to put them away.”
Burns would relish a second crack at the Premiership, adding: “It was a blow leaving Quins, my childhood club, but I’ve moved on from that. I’m working hard on my basic skills and pace has always been a strong facet of my game.”
NEALE HARVEY / Photo: Ealing Trailfinders
