FREDDIE Burns must master the international rugby mindset in South America – to assert his World Cup credentials, believes Mike Catt.
Attack coach Catt has challenged Gloucester fly-half Burns to direct England’s play in the two-Test series against Argentina next month.
- ​
Freddie Burns will be England’s first choice fly-half in Argentina
World Cup-winning playmaker Catt hailed Burns’ attacking credentials, admitting the 22-year-old was primed for a busy Six Nations before knee ligament injury ruled him out of the tournament.
Catt has backed Burns to progress and challenge Owen Farrell and Toby Flood for England’s starting fly-half role in the long-term.
But to realise that goal, Catt has told Burns he must appreciate the stark differences in build-up play between the Premiership and international arenas.
Former Bath and London Irish centre Catt said no international side can afford to attack from anywhere, and has challenged Burns to continue his impressive improvements in controlling matches tactically as well as instinctively.
Catt explained: “Freddie was definitely right up there before the Six Nations, there’s no doubt about it.
“And he’s been training exceptionally well.
“We’ve got to get the variety right in our game.
“We cannot just play ‘jouer’ rugby all the time, that attack-from-anywhere French style.
“We’ve got to do whatever it takes to win games, so if that means driving teams to death then we’ll drive teams to death.
“One of our strengths will definitely be that speed in the wide channels.
“But we have to balance that out.
“We need two players in each position for the World Cup.
“And this tour is definitely an opportunity for a lot of people to push themselves forward in that regard.
“It’s a big opportunity for a group of players to say to Stuart, ‘Oi, don’t forget about us’.
“It’s key that they really step up and drive the move forward.
“Freddie’s got to get the measure of things, get hold of the game and be the driver of what we do.
“We know all about Freddie’s skill set, but it’s about playing consistently and being able to control the game at international level.
“Hopefully he and others can play well enough to cause headaches ahead of selection when it comes to November.
“Freddie has been consistent this season and he is very adept at playing the wide game.
“Gloucester play very attractive rugby and attack from all parts of the pitch.
“It is very, very hard to do that at international level though.
“We still want Freddie to have that game in his locker, but international rugby is a different animal and it’s about being able to tame that beast.
“So he’s got to be able to flip from club to international rugby, that’s key to be able to move seamlessly between the two.”
England start their summer schedule by hosting the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday (kick-of 1pm).
Stuart Lancaster’s men then take on a South American select XV in Montevideo on June 2, before two Tests against Argentina on June 8 and 15.
Catt believes Gloucester’s new recruit Matt Kvesic and speed merchant wing Jonny May have opportunities to forge a fruitful England future this summer.
Calling on England to be far more ruthless in converting chances, he admitted he cannot wait to see natural pacemen finishers Christian Wade from Wasps and May link up in Lancaster’s side.
He continued: “Men like Matt Kvesic, Christian Wade and Freddie, they have all played consistently well all season.
“All of them are very young, and they’ve got to get that experience at international level because it’s completely different from the Premiership.
“The Elite Player Squad could change quite significantly in the next three months.
“We desperately need to be better at finishing what we create.
“And that’s where Wadey and Jonny May come into it.
“We are still finding our ultimate team, and a whole host of players have chances to prove they should be a part of that in the long-term this summer.”
Gloucester Rugby: Burns told to give England selection dilemma
No comments:
Post a Comment