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The good, the bad and the not so ugly in Sam Burgess’ England debut

16th August, 2015
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The world's best will be on display at the RLWC in 2017. Can England improve their international chances? (AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK)
Roar Guru
16th August, 2015
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There was the good, the bad but not really the ugly as cross-coder Sam Burgess made his international rugby union debut for England.

The home team walked away 19-14 winners over France with Burgess playing the full 80 minutes.

The former South Sydney star threw himself about in a bid to claim a spot in the upcoming World Cup.

Starting alongside fellow debutant Henry Slade in the centres, Burgess was eager to impress.

In the first half 26-year-old had some strong runs and tackles. He made a statement in defence, helping put one French player into touch and smashing another with a big hit.

It was the kind of imposing tackle he was best known for in the NRL.

He did give away an early penalty for not rolling away, which Morgan Parra nailed to get France a 3-0 lead.

Burgess didn’t get a lot of ball in the first 40 but played a role in England’s second try, with a nice inside pass to keep the move flowing, which ended in Anthony Watson’s second five-pointer.

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Just before half-time came the bad. He was yellow-carded when he was offside and pulled Parra down as the halfback tried to take a quick tap.

It was a silly decision, not a malicious one, from Burgess but he was marched for 10. Apparently Burgess has made history as the first England player to be yellow-carded on debut.

‘Slamming Sammy’ does like to make a statement.

In the second half opportunities were rare for Burgess. England were largely on the back foot, with another player yellow-carded, and his impact was minimal. The Pom’s scrum struggled and their lineout was wonky.

Burgess carried well and again got through a load of work in defence, but there was no offloads or line-breaking.

All in all it was a solid debut for Dewsbury boy.

Burgess’ ability as a ball-carrier, his size, strength and power suits the kind of game that England is best known for. He will hit up and smash opponents in the tackle all day.

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He won’t create or throw brilliant passes, or kick like a Conrad Smith, but alongside him he had a 13 in Slade who was doing those things with aplomb. Essentially Slade was playing the traditional inside centre role and Burgess the outside centre.

Has Burgess done enough to book a position at the World Cup? That’s the million dollar question.

I get the feeling that Stuart Lancaster will include him in his squad because of his x-factor quality, his big-game experience and because he’s a leader.

He’s still finding his feet as a centre and is certainly better equipped as a backrow forward. But with time running out it looks like the backs or bust for England and Burgess, and there’s one game left before the squad is announced.

Another decent game from the ex-Rabbitoh, in Paris next weekend, could be enough for him to get the nod for September and October.

Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson

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