England prop Alex Corbisiero has said that it was the right decision to drop him from England's tour of New Zealand so that he could recover from a recurring knee injury.

The loosehead prop played very little rugby last season, although he did help Northampton Saints to the Challenge Cup and the Premiership title last term.

Despite his involvement towards the end of the domestic season, Corbisiero has said that he needed time away from the game to recover fully.

"As tough a decision as it was to say no, it was the right decision - a big-picture decision - so I'm happy with the choice I made," Corbisiero told The Guardian.

"There's a massive domestic season to get through, some big internationals to get through and then some minimal time off before the World Cup, which is probably going to be the pinnacle of my career. So to have this time off looking forward to the next 15 months ahead was massive and I feel very lucky to have that opportunity."

"Watching every test was pretty tough. Sitting at my laptop in New York watching it online is never easy, you always want to play for your country, but I was thankful for the rest I had and I feel very refreshed. It was good to be away from rugby, spend some time with my family and get ready for what's going to be a big season hopefully for club and country."

Corbisiero made his England debut in 2011 and has represented his country a further 18 times.