Luther Burrell and Sam Dickinson worthy of England shirt

The jersey differs from previous incarnations in its ‘midnight blue’ bands on each arm which, at a distance, could be misinterpreted as marks of respect for the recently departed.

When it comes to Northampton duo Luther Burrell and Sam Dickinson, who were flagged up by the England head coach as his form horses of the season so far, it is more a case of the soon-to-arrive.

Both men are set to be involved in the squad which assembles later this month in Yorkshire in preparation for the November Tests at Twickenham against Australia, Argentina and New Zealand.

In the absence of the injured Brad Barritt and Manu Tuilagi, Burrell – once a junior ten-pin bowling star and a former protege of Lancaster at Leeds – could even start against the Wallabies. Lancaster yesterday placed question marks against Billy Twelvetrees’ consistency at Gloucester this season and discounted any possibility of moving Owen Farrell to No12 in the short term.

“To lose Brad and Manu in the space of a week was disappointing because both are high-quality players. They have both been key figures for us and were Lions,” said Lancaster.

“But injuries have created opportunities for people in the past and they have taken them.

“Luther Burrell, on form, has been the pick of the inside-centres so far.

“He has shown what I already knew, having coached him, that he has better distribution than people give him credit for and he has a good defensive game now.

“Northampton deserve credit for what they have done in terms of his conditioning and his mindset.

“I used to have to talk to Luther about his consistency, but in all the games he has played this season he has shown that level which shows he is a genuine contender now.

“To win at the highest level you have to have a combination of pace, power, skill and physicality – and Luther is now beginning to show that physicality, which it is really important.”

Burrell, 25, is already a member of the England Saxons squad having been called up for the summer tour to Argentina because of an injury to Joel Tomkins. Dickinson, however, has appeared from outside the solar system. The 27-year-old started the season as a complete unknown in the Premiership after a wasted first season at the Saints, ruined by a broken arm following his move from Rotherham. But two man-of-the-match displays in an outstanding sequence of games has changed all that.

Luther Burrell and Sam Dickinson worthy of England shirt