Why joining Northampton Saints was no-brainer for Luther Burrell

Powerhouse centre Luther Burrell says his desire to learn from Northampton's impressive array of England stars drove him to leave Sale Sharks.
The ambitious 24-year-old believes that by surrounding himself with top internationals such as Dylan Hartley, Ben Foden, Courtney Lawes and Tom Wood, he will enhance his own international aspirations.
He could have stayed with the Sharks, but Burrell insists a shortage of game time last season made his decision to move south a “no-brainer”.
The 6ft 3in, 17st 2lb bruiser told The Rugby Paper: “Staying at Sale was an option, but Northampton are a great club and if they come knocking you don't want to turn them down. They're full of England stars and I want to be around those players.
“Sale's a good club and Steve Diamond is trying to get that Northern ethos going and build something, but the competition was from the likes of Sam Tuitupou and Johnny Leota and I didn't get the game time I felt I deserved.
“So with Northampton losing Jon Clarke and James Downey, who was such a strong enforcer, it was a no-brainer for me to come here.
“I knew what I had to do over the summer to fill that slot and, while it is still tough, I want to work on my game and deliver the performances I know I'm capable of.”
Burrell made a memorable home debut off the bench against Exeter last weekend, scoring a try and contributing to a deserved bonus- point victory.
The challenge now for the impressively-built midfielder is to see off the likes of George Pisi and Dom Waldouck and win a regular starting place.
Burrell believes he has already made good progress, both physically and mentally, in the demanding environment of Franklin's Gardens.
“The Saints are everything I thought it would be,” he explained. “I came here because I wanted to improve as a rugby player and break into the first team.
“The players here are players I can learn off – the likes of George, Dom and Tom May – and the competition is healthy. You've got to work hard to get selected in this squad and going forward the boys are going to push each other.
“The England boys are strong enforcers in the squad and they demand success from other players all the time. That's good because not only does it ease the burden on the coaches, it inspires me to keep up and be better.”
Fitness is key to Northampton's power game, but the early season evidence suggests Burrell and his mates are fully prepared for battle.
He added: “I'm not going to lie, the summer was brutal and our fitness guy, Nick Johnston, and his backroom staff demand a lot from you physically and mentally. You're doing three sessions a day and pushing it to the max.
“But the boys are fit and we want big players to give us front-foot ball and smack players back. That's what we want to be renowned for and although it was a tough pre-season, it's paid off and the boys are looking sharp.
“We're a good offensive side and if we can iron out a few creases in our defence, we can hopefully build on our start and have a good season. There's a great atmosphere at the club and I want to be a big part of it.”
NEALE HARVEY