Lancaster let me down by dropping me

LONDON: Luther Burrell has said that former head coach Stuart Lancaster let him down by dropping him from England’s Rugby World Cup squad, but that he holds no grudge against Sam Burgess, who took his place. In his first public comments since the World Cup, Burrell, who plays centre for Northampton in the English Premiership, described how the “heartbreaking” news left him fighting back tears around the other players. The Six Nations regular was informed by Lancaster that he had been dropped on Aug. 27, a few hours before the squad was officially announced. “I knew as soon as I walked into the office ... that it was not good news,” the 27-year-old was quoted as saying by the British media. “I was the first player in. Obviously, Stuart wanted to get the tough one out of the way first. “I’ve known Stuart for 12 or 13 years. I have huge respect for him as a bloke and for what he has achieved. I know it was a tough decision to make. “But he let me down. That’s how I feel about it. “It was one of the most heartbreaking things in my life. To get shipped out on the day that it is all announced, well that is a huge setback. “I just didn’t feel I had done anything wrong. I had trained well all summer. I had done for the jersey everything I could. That was the hardest thing for me.