Saints centre Luther Burrell says that he is relishing being back with England under new head coach Eddie Jones.
The last time Burrell played for England was when his side were beaten 25-20 by France in their Rugby World Cup warm-up fixture in Paris, and Burrell is delighted to be back involved with a rejuvenated England.
“I am really excited about being part of this group again,” said Burrell, speaking to englandrugby.com.
“It is a fresh start, a clean slate and if you’re playing well then Eddie Jones is the sort of bloke that is going to pick the best players – all I can do is look after that.”
First up for England is a Test against Wales at Twickenham on Sunday, and Burrell knows that Wales will pose a huge physical challenge.
“Jamie Roberts is a fantastic player, I have played against him for England and with Northampton, he is a dangerous threat and then there’s obviously by club teammate George North – one hell of an athlete.”
England go into their Tests against Wales and then Australia with a number of strong contenders in the centre with the likes of Ollie Devoto, Henry Slade, Owen Farrell, Jonathan Joseph and Ben Te’o, who was recently called up to the England squad for the first time.
With so many good players competing for the two starting spots, Burrell is delighted to see that the centre position is one in which England now have great strength in depth.
“At one point the centre position wasn’t really as strong as it is now, it is an exciting time and keeps everyone on their toes and chomping at the bit to be part of this England squad.”
