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Sam Burgess...What do we think?

Flouw and Garvey are both going to be doing re-hab with him at Farleigh and Flouw in particular is going to be mentoring him on the breakdown.
He was given a big book at the beginning of the year to teach him about the theory of all the techniques and rules that would be foreign to him.
I know Hatley works with guys one on one a lot already, so I imagine he'll be spending a lot of time teaching Sam ball placement, adjusting his tackle technique etc.
 
Flouw and Garvey are both going to be doing re-hab with him at Farleigh and Flouw in particular is going to be mentoring him on the breakdown.
He was given a big book at the beginning of the year to teach him about the theory of all the techniques and rules that would be foreign to him.
I know Hatley works with guys one on one a lot already, so I imagine he'll be spending a lot of time teaching Sam ball placement, adjusting his tackle technique etc.

Just watched his interview on BBC, and he comes across really well, the drive behind the guy is clealry immense, and you can see he's quietly confident in himself.

I honestly think if he makes a smooth transition he could be the tipping point between Bath Finishing as also rans and a top four team consistently.

Also interesting to hear he's been chatting with Lancaster - not reading too much into it, but the guy is clearly going to be on their Radar, i'm genuinely excited to see what happens here, he could be the blueprint.
 
I think that's one of the main reason the media likes him so much - seems to be a genuinely nice bloke.
 
Of course he's nice: he's northern. Salt of the Earth.
I mean he is from Yorkshire, but I won't hold that against him...too much.
 
On the question of best position, I have always been in the "league converts don't usually make good forwards" camp, for all the obvious reasons of learning to ruck, maul, scrummage and all that jazz. This was until I read Ford categorically stating he intended for Burgess to be a back row player, and heard his reasoning which madkes a hell of a lot of sense. He referred to Burgess as a "sixty plays per game" player, i.e. someone who has sixty direct moments of involvement - basically tackles or carries I assume. He pointed out that the average premiership centre has twelve per game (I think ... doing this from memory) and a back row far closer to Sam's current sixty. I don't follow league so all I know about Burgess's talents is second-hand and I am happy to be corrected by more knowledgeable posters, but there seems to be a consensus in the coverage that Sam's biggest assets, outside his pure power, are his high fitness and enormous work rate. So Ford has a point - if what makes Burgess such a good league player is his high work rate and ability to make his sixtieth carry as powerful as his first, it seems madness to waste it.
.

Not to harp on and flog a dead horse, but this alludes to my main gripe. So forwards get five times more workload than the backs. Travesty. It should be 50:50 at worst with the backs ideally getting more than that.

Preferably I'd have Sam in the centre (where England are lacking) alongside Tuilagi...as he would have the space to really get into his stride and break defensive lines, however, the lack of action the backs get means it would indeed be a total waste, so yeah back row may just be a much better option (even though England are already very strong there). Sam is a workhorse, and he is a natural leader who takes the game by the scruff of the neck...that stat alone has shocked (and convinced) me that the back row is where he should be played.

Just watched his interview on BBC, and he comes across really well, the drive behind the guy is clealry immense, and you can see he's quietly confident in himself.

I honestly think if he makes a smooth transition he could be the tipping point between Bath Finishing as also rans and a top four team consistently.

Also interesting to hear he's been chatting with Lancaster - not reading too much into it, but the guy is clearly going to be on their Radar, i'm genuinely excited to see what happens here, he could be the blueprint.

Could be rude and say something like, "no s**t Sherlock" (or Einstein...take your pick)...but that wouldn't be in my nature.

Why do you think he's moved to Union?...the call of the 14,000 capacity Rec in the swirling wind and rain that big a carrot huh? (this is not to denigrate the Rec btw, it's a stadium with history and character)

Either that or he got sick of playing the game hes excelled at his whole life, performing in front of a big house every other week in the state of the art ANZ stadium, all in constant sunshine...not to mention his enviable off field life in Sydney.

Representing England, World Cup, at home. That's the three main sporting reasons. Cash is also a reason yes, as is the fact England have a realistic chance of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup.
 
Sorry I disagree. I've played both codes and the passing skills, for example, in union are higher than what you see in league. That doesn't mean the players are better or more skilled, the game is different and different skillsets are required. You have moves in union where the 10 is throwing a 20m spin pass behind both centres back to the fullback Those kinds of moves and long passes are not necessary in league, so you don't have people needing passing skills like that. It's mainly the shovel pass or push pass or whatever you want to call it. You rarely even seen spin passes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/25124313

"The passing skills in all positions in league are far superior to those in union"

- Jeremy Guscott, former England Rugby Union international centre.

"The handling skills in league are higher generally. If you look at the top sides like Australia and New Zealand, if they create an overlap, the chances are they will score. They don't throw miss-passes for the sake of it and their short passing and angles of running are better"

- Jonathan Davies, former dual code international for Wales/GB.
 
I think Sam will be thinking he won't have any problems getting into that backline. Bar that brilliant run from Jonny May there was very little penetration. The backs had to resort to up and unders in order to make gains. Eastmond at 5'7 is never a centre in the modern brutish era..he did pretty well considering.
 
Wondered how long it'd take for you to pipe up.
 
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hi
cant see him making an international flanker...........poss number 8 but unlikely
center, perhaps but again he has a lot to learn in a short time.
wing .... a la george north ? in my opinion possibly his best chance of international honours.
 

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