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The Sonny Bill Williams versus Sam Burgess match-up tonight is almost bigger than the game itself.
The magnitude of this great sporting rivalry is such that the game will draw in sports fans who have no particular interest in rugby league but cannot resist seeing two juggernauts go head-to-head.
Does anyone realise Greg Inglis and Michael Jennings are playing as well?
Both Williams and Burgess are physically dominant and athletically gifted. They never take a backward step and have plenty of talent to burn. The question on everyone’s mind is who will come out on top?
Before we get to the one-on-one battle, it’s important to recognise the roles each player has for their team and how that affects their games.
Sonny Bill’s role is like Superman: He can do it all.
There are individual players who are better at certain facets of the game but no one individual has the complete package to match SBW. His role is to provide the big plays that lead to a Rooster victory.
Sam Burgess’ role is like Doomsday. For those who don’t know, Doomsday was the villain that ended Superman’s life.
Doomsday was a grey version of the Hulk that just obliterated anything in his path. Doomsday didn’t have a slick hairstyle and he definitely didn’t have the skills that Superman had, but he was just a relentless wrecking ball that couldn’t be stopped.
Of the two players, Burgess has more chance of affecting Sonny Bill’s game than the reverse. This is because Sam’s job is just to run hard, hit hard and just intimidate anyone opposite him.
The Roosters won’t want SBW to get caught up in that battle because it will distract him from his team role, which is to make the big plays.
Really, all Burgess has to do is to keep asking SBW why he isn’t aiming up one-on-one and keep baiting him to go toe-to-toe. SBW will have to keep the bigger picture in mind and not react, but as an alpha male I’m not sure he can resist the challenge.
If Burgess can drag SBW into the trenches he would have won that battle regardless of who puts a shot on whom, because that is not where the Roosters want their main strike weapon.
Last time they played against each other in the Rugby League World Cup, Sam Burgess put together one of the all-time great games from a front rower. Burgess’ game put England in a great position to win.
Sonny Bill didn’t have as spectacular a ‘highlight reel’ type of game but was far and away the best Kiwi on the park whose effort and never-say-die attitude was the reason the Kiwis didn’t lose.
I’m so excited and feel almost privileged to be able to witness two great forwards have such a competitive and respectful rivalry.
Comic book readers would know that Doomsday won a lot of the battles against Superman but in the end Superman won the war.
Roosters by 10.
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