Luther Burrell gets defensive about his big chance

Manu Tuilagi may be the irresistible force but Luther Burrell believes he can be the immovable object if Stuart Lancaster hands him England‘s No.13 shirt.
With no recognised outside centre in Lancaster’s Six Nations squad – and Tuilagi still sidelined for a month – Burrell is expected to get the nod against France despite spending his season at inside centre.
At 6ft 2ins and more than 17 stone, Burrell has wreaked havoc in that position – much like Jamie Roberts does for Wales – bursting through defences or dragging multiple defenders to free up Saints flyers George North and the Pisi brothers.
Lancaster recognises the need for a second play-maker, however, and is set to continue with Billy Twelvetrees at 12.
The defensive onus of outside centre is not lost on Burrell but the 26-year-old powerhouse has no doubt he’s up to the task.
“It’s probably the most important defensive position on the pitch,” said Burrell. “In terms of positioning and looking after that channel, it’s crucial.
“I’ve had a bit of experience of playing there before at Leeds, and I’ve played at 13 in some of the training sessions at previous England camps. I’d be more than happy to take on that responsibility.
“I’m desperate to play and if that comes at 13 then great. It’s the defensive side of things that will be the biggest difference, you can’t get too wide and you have to organise.
“To get on the pitch in Paris would be massive for me. It’s a little while away yet and there are some important games for Northampton but I’m really happy with my form and hopefully this time I can get my chance.”
Burrell saw a disappointing Joel Tomkins preferred during the autumn, but he has started all 12 of Saints’ Premiership clashes, scoring three tries, and each of their Heineken Cup matches, including the thrilling 18-7 victory over Leinster at Lansdowne Road.
Each season Jim Mallinder has a ‘project player’ in his squad – in years gone by it has been Ben Foden, last campaign it was Samu Manoa, and this term it’s Burrell.
Improvements have come across the board but his distribution has developed no end – thanks in no small part to the arrival of Alex King as backs coach.
“Alex has been great for all of the backs, and for me in particular,” Burrell added.
“I’ve been doing a lot of one-on-one work with him, on handling and ball skills, and it’s really paying off for me.
“It is an area of my game that has really improved and Alex has played a big part.
“In the team in general, he has made a really big impact. He wanted to get rid of our reputation as a one-dimensional team and I think we’ve done that this season – that was one of the big goals.”
Like a raft of recent new caps, Burrell has Rugby League heritage, having played for Huddersfield as a junior before switching to Union and eventually catching Lancaster’s eye at Leeds – even if his mum Joyce had to write an email to convince the now England head coach to take another look.
Burrell was overlooked at 15 by the Leeds academy and, after a team-mate at Huddersfield was picked instead his mother wrote to Lancaster – then head of the academy.
In the email Joyce told Lancaster he had been wrong not to pick her son and Lancaster wrote back promising they would take a second look and eventually signed him up.
However, it was the move from the Sale bench  to Franklin’s Gardens in the summer of 2012 that ignited Burrell’s career.
“I could easily see a scenario where Luther and Billy pair up,” says Lancaster. “We need to look at who is the best guy to defend at 13. Luther’s had plenty of experience of that at Sale. That’s the bit we’re going to look at during the first few days of the camp. But I could definitely see that combination playing together.
“You use one of the centres to get you across the gain line, and another who becomes an option to get you across the line but is also a second distributor and ball player.”
GERARD MEAGHER