Saints coach King happy to see Burrell in best position for England

Alex King is relishing the prospect of seeing Saints star Luther Burrell line up in his ‘better position’ for England in Wales on Friday night.
CENTRE STAGE - Luther Burrell starts for England in Wales on Friday night (picture: Sharon Lucey)CENTRE STAGE - Luther Burrell starts for England in Wales on Friday night (picture: Sharon Lucey)
CENTRE STAGE - Luther Burrell starts for England in Wales on Friday night (picture: Sharon Lucey)

Burrell will start at 12 for Stuart Lancaster’s side in the Six Nations opener at the Millennium Stadium, forming a new-look centre partnership with Bath’s Jonathan Joseph.

The Saints man exploded onto the England scene in the Six Nations last year, scoring on his debut in France and adding two more tries to his tally before the tournament ended.

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But he was utilised at 13 on those occasions, which was a departure from his regular inside centre role at Saints.

And Northampton attack coach King said: “Luther’s been the stand-out 12 in the Premiership for the past two years.

“It’s going to be exciting to see him play with Jonathan Joseph and with George Ford at 10 and I’m really looking forward to seeing how that backline operates.

“I think 12 is Luther’s better position, he’s more comfortable playing there and he will give England the go-forward they need to get their game into place.”

So just why is Burrell better at 12?

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“It’s all about balance between the 10. 12 and 13 and guys who complement your skill-set.” explained King.

“George Ford is a good distributor, Luther Burrell is big, strong and direct and gets you over the gainline and Jonathan Joseph has got good footwork and incredible speed.

“The three of them working together will be really exciting for England.”