Learning from best is key to Burrell’s progress

England’s greenhorn of an outside centre wanted to pick the brains of the national icon against whom he had lined up.

Luther Burrell had gone toe-to-toe with Brian O’Driscoll in a relentlessly frenetic Six Nations encounter, and now he wanted to glean as much from his opposite number before it was too late.

For Saturday saw the last visit to Twickenham by O’Driscoll in his glittering career and although Burrell had just played his part in ensuring it would not be a fond farewell for Ireland’s inspirational hero, he still wanted one last memory with which to go away.

“I sought him out in the bar because I’d seen him after the game and, to be honest, that’s not a place you want to dwell in, the losing dressing room,” said Burrell.

“I wanted to pick his brains because this might not happen for me again, playing against an idol of mine, and it was a real proud moment for me to line up against him.”

If Burrell continues to play like he has in his first three Test matches then future opponents might well be the ones looking up to him in a few years.

In his first experience of Twickenham, he did not let the standard of opposition intimidate him.

The only thing that took him by surprise was the noise generated by the fervent home support.

“From the first whistle it was absolutely brilliant, we were having to scream at each other to hear the calls,” said the 26-year-old, who played both codes of rugby as a junior growing up in Huddersfield.

“The crowd was just fantastic. I came down to watch the games in the autumn and they weren’t like that at all, so it was brilliant.

“They were like our 16th man and it was fantastic to be out there making my Twickenham debut and getting off to a winning start.”

If there was a minor blot on his copybook it was that he did not continue his scoring habit, having touched down in both his debut in Paris and seven days later in Edinburgh.

“I think I might get a bit of stick for that,” he laughed. “But it was a fantastic performance and winning is better than scoring tries.

“For me, I’m still learning and I’ve still got a lot of learning to do.

“I’m just happy to get involved in the games, and by doing as much homework as I can I’m ensuring I feel comfortable on the day.

“What I’m finding is that every Test match is hard; you’re playing against world-class players week-in, week-out.”

Burrell believes England passed a real character test by responding to Ireland’s whirlwind start to the second half with a quick-fire penalty, a converted try and a resilient defensive stand.

It is an assertion held by all within the England dressing room and one that should stand them in good stead for the remainder of the championship.

England’s win has blown the title race wide open with four nations on two wins and one defeat.

France versus Ireland on the final weekend of the championship could determine the destiny of the title, as could the highlight of the penultimate round of fixtures, England versus Wales at Twickenham.

Given Wales ended the Red Rose’s grand slam ambitions in emphatic fashion in Cardiff last year, it is a fixture that already has wide-ranging connotations, regardless of its present context.

Burrell was not an international player 12 months ago – he was merely bludgeoning opponents for Northampton Saints – but even as a new man in the picture, he knows the importance of the next appointment.

“What happened last year is not relevant,” said the former Leeds Carnegie player.

“We have looked at that game in the past because the group learned a lot from it.

“They really put us to the sword that day, so we know what Wales are about.

“It’s going to be about sticking to our game plan, looking at the footage and seeing which way we’re going to play.

“Wales have got a lot of momentum coming into this game after a fantastic performance against France.

“They’re a very big side, with a big back line and a big forward pack that will really test us. 
There’s a lot at stake now and it’s fantastic.

“It’s all there for the taking now in the championship and it’s going to be an exciting game.

“It will be a massive achievement to be able to beat them and get that Triple Crown.”

One man who played in that watershed game at the Millennium Stadium and knows exactly what is at stake on March 9 is Joe Launchbury, a 22-year-old who gets better with each game he plays in England’s second row.

Launchbury said: “There’ll be a wrong to put right but we have moved forward as a team.

“We are a completely different team to what we were 12 months ago.

“Maybe we don’t have the experience of the other teams, but we learn on the job.”

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