Rising Aussie rugby star Harry Wilson draws on Rabbitohs great Sam Burgess for inspiration
With a Wallabies debut later this year beckoning, Harry Wilson is the talk of Aussie rugby. But it’s a legendary player from a rival code that is the inspiration for the 20-year-old Gunnedah product.
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Aussie rugby can extend a debt of gratitude to Englishman Sam Burgess for the emergence of its brightest star this year.
Harry Wilson, the 20-year-old Queensland Reds backrower who has lit up Super Rugby in 2020, has idolised Burgess since childhood and modelled his robust game on the dual international.
When he was eight, Wilson and his brothers had the chance to meet the Burgess brothers in the South Sydney Rabbitohs dressing room and since then has tried to emulate Sam.
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Little did Crusaders coach Scott Robertson know that before the Reds pushed his three-time defending champion team earlier this year – the Canterbury team prevailed 24-20 – that Wilson and fellow Queensland backrower Fraser McReight had fired themselves up for the match by watching Burgess’ documentary.
“Before the Crusaders game this year, me and Fraser watched his documentary on YouTube together in the morning, and I was pretty motivated that day,” Wilson said.
“There’s little things you can use for motivation, to make you run that little bit harder or defend a bit harder, I have used Sam for that.”
Wilson’s performance moved Robertson to later say: “I’ve officially fallen for, have I mentioned, Harry Wilson … As an ex-No.8, his ability to set a bit of footwork is special.”
Special is a word Queensland coach Brad Thorn has also used to describe this baby-faced assassin.
How much has Wilson actually taken from Sam Burgess, who led Souths to the 2014 NRL premiership before switching codes and representing England at the 2015 Rugby World Cup?
“Quite a lot, especially this year,” Wilson said.
“Thorny said I’ve got to get better with strong carries in the middle – that’s what Sam Burgess lives for in rugby league, and even when he played rugby.
“I try to get that fearless type of approach when I carry. You’re going to get cracked a few times, but if you keep doing it for long enough and get through them it will open up for you.
“I’ve definitely tried to use a bit of that this year.
“My granddad went for Souths, he then brainwashed my dad, and dad brainwashed me and two other brothers, we’re all diehard South Sydney supporters.
“The Burgess brothers, particularly Sam, have been our childhood heroes and even now - 2014 was definitely a highlight of my life.
“In 2012 we went into the Rabbitohs sheds and I met them, that was special. I don’t miss a game the Bunnies play.”
Wilson will feel a little of the NRL atmosphere when his Reds take on Melbourne Rebels in league heartland at Brookvale Oval on Friday night – the match having been relocated due to Victoria’s COVID-19 lockdown.
A Gunnedah product who starred for the Australian under-20s side that reached last year’s World Cup final – Wilson scored a try in the 24-23 loss to France in the decider – this 112kg wrecking ball led the Super Rugby competition for carries before the coronavirus shut down.
He’s had time to rehab an injured knee, and last weekend scored the crucial try as Queensland ended an 11-match losing streak to NSW to regain the Bob Templeton Cup in the revised Super Rugby AU tournament.
There is no denying that Wilson will be on Wallabies coach Dave Rennie’s radar this year, particularly with incumbent No.8 Isi Naisarani suffering a long-term hamstring injury, which means a potential Test debut against the All Blacks.
“My main goal this year is to be a part of something special at the Reds, winning the premiership,” Wilson said.
“And the ultimate goal, I’d love to represent the Wallabies, but I’m very aware that I’ve got a lot of work to do before then, and there are a lot of good players here in Australia. That would be the cherry on top.
“At school I made all the rep teams but I always felt like I got lucky, I was just a small second rower back then.
“I always knew I wanted to be, but when I got my first professional contract and then playing under-20s, that’s when I felt I knew I was good enough to take that next step.
“That was the moment I believed in myself more, knowing I belonged.
“So after the 20s experience, I made sure I came back to the Reds and trained harder, tried to put my presence on other people rather than just participating and watching too much.”
There is much to like about the Reds backrow, that includes skipper Liam Wright.
Amid tough times for Australian rugby, they represent a glimmer of hope that success is around the corner.
“There’s such a good feeling in the Reds group, we all know we can be part of something special. But so far we’ve played so much inconsistent footy, for us it starts with this week, beating Rebels, getting some wins in a row,” Wilson said.
“If we can do that, we know we can go on to better things and help revive Australian footy.”