I’d tell a kid up north to play rugby league now
Burrell’s playful swipe at union as he prepares to cross codes
‘YOU won’t be able to understand me in 12 months’ time!’ says Luther Burrell with a chuckle. He is reflecting on how his voice has changed during his years in rugby union — after his partner, Milli, joked that he ditched his northern accent to fit in.
‘A brew will always be a brew!’ he adds, boiling the kettle in his kitchen in the Northamptonshire countryside.
Conversation has centred around rugby union’s class prejudice. Burrell has spent a decade at the top end of the sport, so he is in a position to reflect as he prepares to join rugby league’s Warrington Wolves at the end of the season.
How will he describe union to his league team-mates? He pauses to laugh, before answering: ‘I’ll say... it’s different, innit! And then they’ll say... “In what way?”’
For context, Burrell grew up in an excouncil house in Huddersfield. He was educated at a state school and was initially rejected by Leeds academy. It is his perseverance that earned him 15 England caps and a Premiership title at Northampton.
‘Everyone knows that rugby union is predominantly played by people from boarding schools or private schools,’ he says. ‘I’m not going to lie... at first, especially in the England set-up, I felt a bit out of place. I felt embarrassed about being judged. I was nervous about fitting in at these posh dinners you go to.
‘I don’t give a c**p any more, but even a couple of weeks ago someone came up to me at a dinner and said, “So, what school did you go to?” I went to All Saints school in Huddersfield and my mum and dad didn’t drive a BMW. I don’t think they even have a rugby team any more. Not a great sign, is it? It needs investment. Is rugby union missing out on talent? Absolutely. It needs to integrate itself more with smaller schools in the north.
‘I’m thankful to Stuart Lancaster [then head of the academy at Leeds] and rugby union for giving me the opportunities that I have had, but most people of my background probably aren’t so lucky.’
So what advice would Burrell give to a fellow youngster in Huddersfield, faced with the choice between league and union? ‘I’d tell him to go play league, because there’s more opportunity up north.’
For Burrell himself, the switch will open up a new world of opportunity at the age of 31. It will coincide with the birth of his second child in July, joining twoyear-old Luna. The centre is popular among his peers and had offers from rival Premiership and French clubs, however the new career will move him closer to home and take him out of his comfort zone. It signals the end of his England career under Eddie Jones, although the rugby league World Cup is on the horizon in 2021.
‘It’s been a long, thought-out decision for me,’ he says, sitting in the company of his black pug, Vinny, on the sofa.
‘Warrington got in touch in 2016 but I’d just got back in the England team. I had a bit of unsettled business after missing the 2015 World Cup [he was controversially replaced in the squad by rugby league convert Sam Burgess] so I said, “Sorry, not now”. It’s been at the back of my mind since then. ‘Leaving Northampton is a big thing for me. Bloomin’ heck, I’ve been here eight seasons and I’ve had a wicked time. The lads take the p*** about me being from the north and I take the p*** back about their little pinky rings! The club were keen to give me an extension but I wasn’t 100 per cent happy with it. There’s only one other Premiership club I would leave Saints for but that wasn’t on the table.’ Who? ‘ Sale... but they’ve just signed a big South African centre and they’ve got some young lads coming through. I could’ve stayed at Northampton and been comfortable in rugby union but I wanted to take a risk. The Warrington coaches are really keen to get me on board and it’s a great feeling to feel properly wanted.’
Would a rugby league World Cup heal the scars of 2015? ‘They’re healed, man. It was heart-breaking but I’m over that now.’
Burrell has played just 29 minutes of Test rugby under Jones, having been hauled off after in the first half of England’s first-Test victory over Australia in 2016.
Since then he has been chasing the dream, yet it become increasingly unachievable as Jones narrows down his World Cup options.
‘I spoke to Eddie when I was making the decision and asked, “What are the chances?”’ he says. ‘He said if I perform consistently better than everyone else, then he can’t not pick me. It wasn’t really an answer. A couple of weeks after that conversation, they went on camp to Portugal and brought Jonathan Joseph back into the team. He hadn’t played rugby in God knows how long. That kind of answered my question.’
Burrell’s focus is now purely on ending his Saints career on a high. With five games of the season remaining, the club are pushing for a play-off finish following a revival under Chris Boyd.
‘It’s a happy camp now,’ says Burrell. ‘We’re fifth so it would be class to make the top four and have a shot at winning it. That wouldn’t be a bad way to go out, would it?’