Saints star Burrell savours ‘special’ England success

The Saints centre put in a powerhouse performance as Stuart Lancaster’s side recovered from a 16-8 half-time deficit to earn an exceptional 21-16 victory.

Tries from Bath duo Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph, allied with the accurate boot of their club-mate, George Ford, secured the success.

It got England off to the perfect start in this season’s Six Nations and helped them banish memories of the 30-3 drubbing at the Millennium Stadium in 2013.

And Saints star Burrell was beaming as he reflected on a triumph that puts his country on course for the crown.

“It’s pretty special, that win,” said Burrell, who was one of two Saints in the England team, with Dylan Hartley also starting. “We always knew it was going to be a tough place to come and get a victory.

“We didn’t get the best start, they came out the blocks firing, got an early try and the bounce of the ball went their way a couple of times, but credit to our boys.

“We stuck to our structure and our game plan, we knew that we had the ability to break them down and it was about our fitness coming through in that last 20 minutes.

“That was when the game really turned on its head and we had come out and got early points on the board in the second half.

“We came out firing in that second 40 and this is an unbelievable feeling. You can’t put it into words. It’s a special place to come and get a victory.”