Burford taking nothing for granted

As one of just four players to start every single game this year for England, Rachael Burford will be one of the more experienced backs on show this weekend in France, writes Ali Donnelly.

Burford sits alongside Emily Scarratt, Marlie Packer and Rowena Burnfield as the only players to have been ever-present for England this year and she continues the trend of being chosen consistently by being handed the number 12 shirt for this weekends clash with France.

The 40 times capped centre says she is pleased to have been given the nod in all three games so far.

I feel like I have been playing well and I have been rewarded with a start in each game. There have been some changes around me to the other backs but I think I have been pretty consistent so it is nice that the coaches have shown some faith in me.

Despite the many changes to the England team in every game so far, Burford says there has been little problem for the players in the changing combinations.

Every player is different and we all learn from each other but we are well used to each other from training so it isnt as hard as it might seem. It isnt as if this is a new squad, the backs have all got good experience so youd expect at this level that we can manage when there are changes. One thing you have to be is adaptable to change and weve got some pretty good experience of that now.

Burford more than most can appreciate her standing in the team right now after the disappointment last summer of being omitted from Englands elite squad and missing the Nations Cup as a result. She was back in the squad though by November to take a full part in the test series against New Zealand and she firmly believes she is better for the experience.

It was very disappointing but in the long run I have tried to make a positive out of it. When youre dropped or left out for whatever reason you dont have a choice but to sit back and evaluate where you are and I guess I realised how much I wanted it. Everyone will go through that at some point and I definitely think I have come back a better player for it and I will not be taking anything for granted."

So far this year England have had three comfortable wins under their belts with victories over Scotland, Italy and Wales but their biggest test so far is undoubtedly to come in France on Sunday. Burford believes there while there are still plenty of areas for improvement, England should not be afraid to enjoy their dominance in the tournament.

I think performances by our own standard have been hit and miss but for me its really important that we celebrate how well we do as well. We have a lot of ambition and sometimes we are guilty of trying too hard to force things in games and there are loads of areas for improvement but sometimes I think we lose sight of the fact that we are still winning games strongly. I dont think we should be too humble all the time because we are achieving a lot in every game and we shouldnt be afraid to be proud about our achievements. We know what our own expectations are and we are pushing the boundaries all the time and I think its ok to shout about doing well as a squad.

The recent game against Wales saw Burford reach a special milestone.

I didnt realise going into it that I was going to be winning my 40th cap and then when we had our shirt presentation somebody said it and it felt pretty special. Someone else was winning their 10th cap and it made me realise how quickly time passes. I can still remember getting my 10th cap which I remember thinking was really great because I was into double figures and the time really does pass quickly.

Burford and Scarratt are the centre pairing this weekend but with the approaching return of Alice Ricahrdson and later this year Claire Allan she admits there is an extremely competitive pool of players for the midfield.

We have some brilliant centres and we push each other very hard. We all bring something totally different I think and it allows Gary to chop and change to suit the team we are playing. We all want to play every game but you cant and we congratulate each other when whether we are picked or not. I prefer to play 12 as I would see myself more as a playmaking centre and if I am honest I probably dont have the same pace as players like Emily or Claire but I am pretty versatile . Like I said we all offer something different.

The centre though has experience playing in other positions often lining out at fly-half for Richmond and also playing flanker in a game against Saracens earlier in the season.

I was up against Maggie (Alphonsi) which for a novice was pretty tough!, she explains.

To the two remaining games this weekend and Burford says that nothing will come easy for England.

France and Ireland are both really tough games for us to come. Both teams will come at us really hard and we have to step it up. France are first but Ireland are in the back of our minds too because both are going to be very physical contests. Like every other team they will both want to beat us and they are in really good form at the moment.

England play France, Sunday March 11th, Stade Charlety in Paris, kick off 1245pm GMT.