England recall was a big boost for Saints star Burrell

Jim Mallinder believes being back in the England setup was a big boost for Luther Burrell.
Luther Burrell was in fine form against Worcester (picture: Sharon Lucey)Luther Burrell was in fine form against Worcester (picture: Sharon Lucey)
Luther Burrell was in fine form against Worcester (picture: Sharon Lucey)

And the Saints boss has hailed the recent performances of his centre, who has been in fine form during the past four weeks.

Burrell has not played for England since last August, but he was called into the squad after the recent defeat at Newcastle Falcons before being released two days later.

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That meant he was available for Saints’ clash with Worcester Warriors on Saturday and the 28-year-old was one of his side’s star performers in a 38-18 Aviva Premiership success.

“He’s playing well is Luther,” Mallinder said. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence.

“It’s really good to see him in both positions, 13 and 12, running hard, carrying hard and tackling well.”

And when asked whether joining up with England for the first time since being left out of the World Cup squad gave his player a lift, Mallinder said: “I think it did, just joining up with them, being around and being spoken about. It’s great for him.

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“He’s been there before and we know how disappointed he was not being picked during the World Cup, but he, like a lot of the other players in the team, is really trying to get into that England squad.”