Now is finally the time. On Saturday our questions over England’s centres will at last be answered. It really is make or break for Sam Burgess and England.
Last weekend’s starting 13, Jonathan Joseph, has picked up a chest injury, which leaves Stuart Lancaster no choice but to pick Sam Burgess for a vital clash in England’s world cup campaign. Although England face a Welsh side who have also been torn apart by injuries, starting Burgess is a risk that I am sure the England Coaching team wanted to avoid. They are now having to put a centre, who only has two caps (one full cap), into what will be one of the most hostile matches England will have taken on in recent memory.
In these clashes of brawn, intensity and rivalry, all rugby teams pin their hat on one golden rule: Experience, Experience, Experience. You always go with the people you know you can trust: the people that have performed for you before. It’s a calculated risk, but that’s the point. You have to minimise your options for mistakes.
Thus far in this World Cup, Burgess made one offload which lead to a breakaway of about 15 meters, and gave away a penalty, all in 20 minutes of rugby. It alarms me that I seem to be the only person who seems worried about whether or not Sam Burgess is going to deliver on this stage. He can make a tackle, and he can provide a break, but to compare him to Sonny Bill Williams – which I heard some experts doing after the Fiji game – just seems completely premature. Wales will come at England as hard and as fast as anyone in this World Cup, the match will be brutally difficult, and there will be times when we need ultimate discipline, strong defence and a fantastic set piece [don’t get me started on the hookers]. Owen Farrell is looking likely to start the match at Number 10, which should sure England up defensively, so long as he keeps his cool and doesn’t allow the Welsh to drag him into petulance – which can happen with Farrell.
But, the reason for this selection nightmare in England’s midfield is the original decision to take on Sam Burgess in the first place. Instead, England dropped Luther Burrell; a player who has taken on Wales at Twickenham, won convinvingly and scored a try [albeit it was in 2014]. In the 2015 Six Nations Championship, Burrell started all five games, was part of the side that beat Wales in Cardiff, and added 15 points to the Championship cause with three tries. Yet, somehow it was decided that he wasn’t good enough for the Rugby World Cup match against Wales. I understand that no one could have predicted the injury to Jonathan Joseph, and he would be the preferred starter alongside Brad ‘the boulder’ Barritt, but this is Rugby. You have to expect that injuries will occur along the way, and you should always make sure you have the strongest back up plan – just in case.
A casual mention should also go to Henry Slade, the other centre in the squad. He isn’t even close to being a starter, however if we lose another centre, Lancaster will be relying on yet another single capped player. With another vital match in England’s tournament against Australia to come, suddenly the nightmare becomes more and more real. I am sure that Henry Slade will play a part, and will hopefully do very well, but no one can say for sure because no one knows. No one knows whether Burgess or Slade will perform because they are largely untested in Test Match Rugby. Why did they not make the Six Nations starting squads if they were likely to be selected come August/September – surely that was the correct training ground for them?
As always, I will be praying that Burgess proves me wrong, and if he does I will be the first to issue an apology. In fact, I really, really, really hope that come Sunday morning, I will wake up to a hangover of my words, because I want what is best for the England Team. I appreciate that everyone needs a chance at some point, and if they don’t play now, or step up now, will they ever? Its an argument that plagues sporting selections throughout every game in the world – when is the right time to give someone their chance? Will that person live up to expectations? I just question whether the biggest World Cup ever is the correct stage at which to do that.
“Main Photo”
