Forgotten man Brad Barritt sends out a reminder

Bullish Brad Barritt is determined to win back his England place, warning centres Billy Twelvetrees and Luther Burrell he is after their shirts.
Barritt, who last started for England in March 2013, has found his international ambitions stymied by a combination of injury and poor planning in June that saw players from Saracens and Northampton miss England’s opening Test against New Zealand.
But he is over that disappointment now, telling The Rugby Paper: “I have huge ambitions and playing for England means the world to me. Starting off the season with a bang and hitting great form going into the autumn Tests is all my mind’s focused on.
“It was disappointing how the summer tour conspired with the Premiership finalists so I was not available for the first Test.
“But the Crusaders game went really well for me and it was always a case of coming back, putting a huge amount of effort into pre-season and starting the season in great shape.
“I only had five months of rugby after my injury last season, whereas some guys played for 11 months, so I’m feeling fantastic for the challenge ahead.”
Barritt, 28, has become something of a forgotten man in media circles, with Twelvetress and Burrell being the flavours of the month.
But Barritt added: “I want to be back in that starting centre role for England and on the pitch is where you do the talking.
“Ultimately, we all know what’s expected of us to get that England shirt and I’ve set the balls in motion.
“As a player, you can’t concentrate on what’s being said in the media, you can only look after what you do on the pitch and that’s what I intend to do.
“England have great competition for places all over and the centres are no different.
“The World Cup has always been the goal, the icing on the top of the cake, and to be part of a successful England campaign and a World Cup win is what everyone is dreaming of.  It’s about giving everything you can to get in that team.”
Barritt struck up a useful combination with Manu Tuilagi before both were struck down by injury – a partnership he is keen to resurrect.
“He and I had a great relationship and playing combination,” Barritt added. “Injuries changed that for both of us last year and it’s about getting that back.
“Manu’s back and right now I’m feeling as confident and positive as I’ve ever been, so it’s great to be in a position to push for that England place.”
Another Saracen pushing hard for an England recall is winger Dave Strettle, whose hat-trick of tries against Wasps last week was a timely reminder.
Barritt says: “That was fantastic for Stretts, who’s a brilliant finisher and great rugby player.
“He’s obviously played for England many times and he has huge ambitions to get back in the team as well.
“All I can say is that he’s been fantastic for Saracens and is consistently good, which is the way to get back into the national team.”
Saracens spent the summer honing their playing style and Barritt is confident about their chances of delivering some long-awaited silverware.
He explained: “There’s been a lot going on in terms of evolving our style of play and integrating forwards and backs into what we want to achieve as an attacking force.
“Physically, there’s been a lot of strength and power work, which is always a big focus at Sarries, and we’ve combined that with speed work and decision-making on the run.
“It’s been a good combination of things and we’re looking to reap the rewards on the back of a strong and largely settled squad that’s hungry for success.
“We got 95 per cent of the way to where we wanted to be last season, only to lose two cup finals, but that’s behind us and we want to put things right.”
NEALE HARVEY