Rugby World Cup England v Wales: Sam Burgess and Scott Williams trade barbs
A CLEARLY fired up Sam Burgess has engaged in a war of words with his Welsh counterpart ahead of the crucial World Cup pool match on Sunday.
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IT’S the insult that has Sam Burgess clearly fired up for his first start in a World Cup match, setting up a blockbusting midfield showdown between England and Wales on Sunday morning.
To the surprise of many, three-Test rookie Burgess will start at inside centre in the high-stakes clash after England’s elusive Jonathan Joseph was ruled out with injury.
Welsh centre Scott Williams, when asked if he preferred defending against straight ballcarriers like Burgess or those like Joseph, said: “I know which one is a lot harder to defend, Jonathan Joseph.”
That clearly got under the skin of former NRL star Burgess, who subtly mocked his rival later at a press conference.
Asked about the comment by Williams, Burgess retorted: “Who’s that?”
When it was explained that Williams was the Welsh centre he’d be facing, Burgess smiled: “Oh, yes. Okay.
“I don’t believe what people say. I believe in Stuart (England coach Stuart Lancaster). I believe what he’s picked.”
Burgess, who has only started one previous international and has largely struggled to make an impact, added: “It’s their opinion. I believe in myself. I feel like I’ve got the respect of my teammates and the staff here. That’s the opinions that really count to me. I’ll just wait and see on Saturday.
“My job as a player is to go out and deliver the job that he’s given me. That’s my main focus at the moment. The exterior talk and everything as a group we deal with well. As a group we move on and believe in ourselves.
“I’ll just let my performance do the talking on Saturday. I don’t want to make any bold predictions. But I’ll be ready on Saturday.”
The heavyweight battle between England and Wales will have massive ramifications for Australia’s pool.
The winner of the match will have gone a long way towards securing a place for the quarter-finals, while the loser will face the grim prospect of elimination after the pool stage if they also fail to beat the Wallabies.
Burgess said as a career highlight, the looming game would rival the 2014 NRL grand final — when he earned rugby league immortality for leading South Sydney Rabbitohs to a drought-breaking premiership after breaking his cheekbone early in the game yet still claiming the man-of-the-match award.
“This is up there, it’s a big game, really excited to get out there and be a part of it,” Burgess said.
“I’ve got no experience against Wales. I’ve never played against them before. I’ve got none of the scars or bad experiences against them. For me this is a first chance to play against Wales, I’m looking forward to it.”
Burgess and midfield partner Brad Barritt will oppose Wales duo Williams and Jamie Roberts, who Australian fans know well from his 2013 demolition of the Wallabies in the deciding Test of the British & Irish Lions series.
Originally published as Rugby World Cup England v Wales: Sam Burgess and Scott Williams trade barbs
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