Northampton: Jim Mallinder hopes Stuart Lancaster watched quartet
- From the section Rugby Union
Northampton Saints boss Jim Mallinder has praised the focus of Lee Dickson, Calum Clark, Luther Burrell and Stephen Myler in
England released the quartet after coach Stuart Lancaster did not include them in the matchday 22 against Samoa.
He has named them in the training squad for Saturday's game with Australia.
"I hope Stuart Lancaster was watching. They settled straight back in and it's very difficult when you go away and miss out with England," said Mallinder.
| Saints in the England squad | |
|---|---|
| Dylan Hartley - 56 caps | Courtney Lawes - 30 caps |
| Tom Wood - 28 caps | Lee Dickson - 18 caps |
| Luther Burrell - six caps | Stephen Myler - one cap |
| Calum Clark - uncapped | |
Northampton's third successive Premiership away win took them to the top of the table above Exeter Chiefs.
And although their 31-24 victory at Allianz Park came with the help of the four England players, they were still without Dylan Hartley, Tom Wood and Courtney Lawes, who were all on duty at Twickenham for the third weekend in a row.
"We've seen it over the years that very, very good players go away to England and then mentally and physically it's very, very demanding to come back in and pick it up for the weekend," Mallinder told BBC Radio Northampton.
"I think we could probably pick out all of the England players that came back in to be honest. I'm delighted with them and I give them my best in terms of selection for next week against Australia."