England's Freddie Burns wishes Stuart Lancaster well

Fly-half Freddie Burns has thanked the departing Stuart Lancaster for giving him his senior international debut.

Earlier today Lancaster stepped down from the Twickenham helm following the team's exit from the recent Rugby World Cup in the pool stages.

A number of former players have claimed that the time was right for Lancaster to move on, but Leicester Tigers player Burns has praised the impact that he made during his three years in charge.

"Never nice to see someone step down from their job under those circumstances. Thought Stuart instilled a lot of good things into England," the 25-year-old wrote on Twitter.

"I'd like to thank him for allowing me to represent my country on 5 occasions and wish him well in the future."

Lancaster took charge of England on 46 occasions, 28 of which ended in victories.