Freddie Burns won’t blame Leicester Tigers switch for England axe
The 24-year-old, so impressive in New Zealand last summer, is now – at best – sixth in the England fly-half pecking order in the eyes of Stuart Lancaster.
The England head coach’s selection of Danny Cipriani as one of four fly-halves for the pre-Six Nations training camp was half expected.
But it was the inclusion of Henry Slade as fly-half for the Saxons side to take on the Irish Wolfhounds that reminded Burns just how far his stock has plummeted.
This time last year it was Burns who dropped down from the senior squad to take on the Ireland second string, but fast forward 12 months and he is deemed surplus to requirements even for that.
Burns also seems to have been supplanted by Owen Williams as the starting fly-half at Welford Road.
Tigers‘ coach Richard Cockerill said as much a fortnight ago before giving Burns only his second start since November in their bonus-point win over Scarlets.
But while Burns cannot hide his frustration at lack of game time since his high profile move from Gloucester, the mercurial stand-off is confident the long-term gain of moving will reignite his international claims.
“I know I haven’t played enough games so I wasn’t expecting to be in the squad,” he said. “I’ve not had any contact with England but that’s not surprising.
“I know that if you want to be in these squads then you need consistent game time with your club and that has not been the case for me at Leicester.
“I’d like to think that, given the opportunity, I can get back there. Hopefully I’ll get a bit of a run in the team. I didn’t expect coming to Leicester to be some sort of quick fix.
“The decision I made to come here was a long-term one, I knew I would be at a club that is going to make me a better player.
“It’s a learning process and I believe I’m in the right place to make me a better player. Yes, I might have slipped down the pecking order with England but that’s rugby, these things happen.”
To watch Burns against Scarlets last weekend was a glimpse of his maverick talent as he knocked over conversions from either touchline and stood flat to unlock the Welsh defence.
Consistency has evaded Burns this season, his goalkicking percentage well below his rival Williams. However he is confident the duo will soon be bringing the best out of each other.
Burns added: “I was pleased with how I went against the Scarlets, I had not played a great deal recently so it was nice to get out there and contribute to a good team performance, now I just have to make sure that I keep pushing on.
“Owen and I have a great relationship, we are always competing against each other and I know what a good player he is.
“Of course it is frustrating because you would rather be starting every single game but rugby nowadays is a team game and it’s about strength of the squad.
“The two of us are in a similar position, just on the outside of the squads looking to get in. He’s a quality young player so that competition has certainly helped me, and I have had my fair share of experience so we help push each other on.
“Of course it’s been tough, I had five years at Kingsholm and it is hard to up sticks when you have friends and family. It’s frustrating when you’re not starting but as I say, this was no quick fix.”
CHARLIE TALBOT-SMITH
