Should Sam Burgess make the Rugby World Cup? Opinion is divided among players, coaches and pundits
IT’S the question dominating England’s Rugby World Cup selection: Sam Burgess, in or out? Opinion is divided among players, coaches and pundits even now.
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IT’S the question dominating England’s Rugby World Cup selection: Sam Burgess, in or out?
Even with a matter of days, or even hours, before Stuart Lancaster names his final squad, opinion remains divided among players, coaches and pundits.
Here is what the ‘experts’ have been saying about the Rabbitohs legend’s chances of facing the Wallabies later this spring.
Brian O’Driscoll, Ireland legend
“Burgess has proper defensive X Factor, of that there’s no doubt. His tackle technique and strength in the hit were never in question and for me, he has just the right amount of thug in him to make having a go just a fleeting thought.
“When his team has the ball though, I just don’t think he’s quite up to speed at international level just yet. The difference between attack play in Rugby League & Union is that in Union the hard work starts when the player is tackled and the ruck forms. In League, the tackle completes the play with no rucking needed. Two very different mindsets.”
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Matt Dawson, 2003 World Cup winner
“You can’t take him to the World Cup for me. He played 80 mins [in a World Cup warm up against France] and credit for that. But the way the game went in the second half there was nothing for him to do.
“The great thing about Burgess is he doesn’t make mistakes with ball in hand. But unfortunately, if you’re going to be really picky, positionally he wasn’t great ... There are things that instinctively he doesn’t know what to do.”
Paul Wellens, former Great Britain rugby league international
“He’s a strong carrier of the ball and he’s got a great off-load game. He runs beautiful lines and he can integrate that quite easily into rugby union.
“But I think more so with Sam, when I played with him he was only an 18-year-old kid basically playing for Great Britain against New Zealand, one thing that struck me about him was his confidence.
“He’s got a real aura about him, a real presence, and I think that’s invaluable in a World Cup campaign when you have big personalities within the group who have been successful in the past, albeit in a different sport.”
Martin Johnson, former England captain and coach
“Sam came in with huge expectations that he can do this and do that, but it was never going to be easy — you’re changing sports at the highest level and it’s difficult.
“He has the skills but transferring them to play centre in rugby union, it’s a different game and there are nuances which aren’t in rugby league and vice-versa. He’s admitted that himself and it’s a difficult position playing in the centres.
“There’s difficulty playing in the back-row and Stuart [Lancaster] says his line-out work is not where it needs to be yet, so he’s not going to consider him there. But he’s got a chance in the centres and if he doesn’t make it right now then fine, there’s next year and there’s another World Cup in four years time that he’ll be young enough to play in.”
Mike Ford, Burgess’s coach at Bath and a former league star
“He made a number of tackles [against France], some of them very hard-hitting. I also thought he was OK with the football, he did a couple of nice passes. He did everything right, he even got a try-saver at an important time.
“I think he did enough to make the squad. Lancaster is looking for leadership off the field and a presence in midfield.”
Israel Folau, code-hopping Wallaby
“I definitely think he’ll make it [the final England squad]. He’s an outstanding player. He’s too good a player not to be there. He’d definitely be better in the forwards. His skill set looks suited to a running forwards position.
“But I’m sure wherever the coach decides to play him he’ll do really well. For me coming across as an outside back I felt like my transition was a little bit easier because it is very similar to my role playing rugby league. But a forward’s role in league and union is very different. There are a lot of new things to pick up and the style is quite different.
“But a guy like Sam Burgess who is very talented can pick up the game quite quickly and he’s definitely got some talent so I hope he does really well.”
Clive Woodward, England’s only World Cup winning coach
“I think Burgess is going to be a big star for England. I just think it’s 12 months early. There’s no doubt he’s an amazing player ... I think they will [pick him]. I think Burgess will go.”
Jeff Probyn, former England international
“What has to be remembered is, the intensity in the World Cup games will be far above the phony war games of the warm-ups. Plus, players will be playing instinctively rather than having time to think before they act.
“Even in this low-key game [against France] Burgess’s instincts betrayed him and led to him getting a yellow card. And despite the fact that in this game there were no consequences, in the quarter or semi-finals, it could cost England the match.”
Will Carling, former England captain
“I’m in awe of Sam as a rugby league player, but there is no one that I have spoken to who I respect — ex-players, coaches — who thinks he’s ready. I don’t understand what the rush is and it’s unfair on him. I feel sorry for him.
“If he wants to make it in union, there’s plenty of time. He’s been playing union for 10 months and half of that was in a different position to what England are playing him in.
“He’ll hit you hard if he can line you up and he’s a great guy, but I don’t believe he’s one of the four best centres in England. He was functional against France and wasn’t a disaster, but there was nothing that made me think ‘Wow’.”
George Ford, Burgess’s team-mate at Bath
“Sam gave the team a massive lift with a couple of big hits [against France]. He gets the fans and the atmosphere going, and he does it because that’s what he brings — he loves the physicality side of things, he sees it as a battle when he is carrying the ball, and as a tackler he wants to win that battle every time.
“He is brilliant at going up to people, having small-talk chats and getting people ready for that next play. He takes the game play by play, and that comes from all his experiences in the NRL. He’s had plenty of big enough games in league.”
Stuart Barnes, former England international and outspoken commentator
“Burgess can make a huge impact but that will not make him into some Marvel superhero surrounded by this “aura” I have read about so much. It is almost a disappointment to stand on the edge of a training field and not be knocked sideways by the sheer manifestation of the much-touted presence.
“Until he becomes a dominant player, any force of personality must remain subdued. Players with rugby brains, such as George Ford, are not going to be bossed around by a behemoth urging them unthinkingly on, while Chris Robshaw has been chosen to set the tone by industrious example.
“No matter how great an admirer of Burgess, the league player, he is not going to wake up on Sunday morning as a union superstar with an aura set to smash Australians and Welshmen from his path.”
Jamie Peacock, British rugby league star
“England should definitely include Sam Burgess in their World Cup squad — and if they do they’ll get an inspirational leader who plays with great courage.
“There’s a lot of tangible things about what a player does — how many metres you make, how many tackles and tackle busts. Sam has all those covered, but there’s a lot of ¬intangibles about Sam as well, such as leadership, which can be difficult for people from the outside to see.
“When you’ve been in the battle room of a dressing room or stood shoulder to shoulder with him on the field, you see his ability to lead and deliver, and it’s second to none in rugby league. Those facets and values transfer across sports, and that’s without doubt what Stuart Lancaster has seen in him.”
Originally published as Should Sam Burgess make the Rugby World Cup? Opinion is divided among players, coaches and pundits
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