Jeremy Guscott’s column: Sam Burgess can be deadly force as Bath’s back-row destroyer

I’ve backed Sam Burgess to make England’s World Cup squad from the start because I think he is that talented – and committed to making a success of his switch. However, time may be running out now because fundamentally he hasn’t had the game time required and realistically if you are not No.1 pick for your club, it’s unlikely you’ll be selected by your country.
I thought his integration would have been in similarly quick fashion as Australia‘s Issy Folau, but I didn’t take into account his position in Rugby League – prop forward. While one or two League forwards have excelled in Union – namely Brad Thorn and Sonny Bill Williams – the vast majority of success stories have come in the backline, especially wing/full-back.
Burgess’ big challenge has been trying to integrate into that Bath backline – a backline that oozes subtlety with smaller men like George Ford, Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph using guile, speed, steps, and footballing nous to unlock defences.
Burgess is a different beast standing 6ft 5in and weighing 18st-plus – but combined with that mass, he has the skillset to link with those smaller men and bring an entirely different dynamic to the side. The problem so far for head coach Mike Ford has been how to utilise him properly while allowing him to learn the game.
Burgess has the potential to be England’s Jamie Roberts – but with add-ons. Roberts at his best is a game-changer and Burgess can bring all of that physicality but with the bonus of consistent offloads. He’ll bust through tackles and free up those around him by bringing defenders onto him.
Joseph, for one, would thrive outside him, in a similar way he does outside Eastmond. With Eastmond, a defender never knows what he will do so it keeps them guessing right up to the final second when he can either step inside or pass to Joseph. While Burgess may not have the same trickery as the little magician Eastmond, as he doesn’t have the step or speed, but like Roberts, he offers a different option.
Defenders may be able to line him up but unless it’s a near perfect hit he’ll free his arms, pump the legs, offload and keep the play going.
I used to enjoy playing with the likes of Will Carling, Scott Gibbs and Simon Halliday – players who took the heat from defence and created space outside for me. That is what Burgess can do when he’s fully up to speed.
The main issue at the Rec has been trying to get Burgess playing the Bath way as opposed to changing the game plan to utilise their big weapon – and that’s why I think it was a smart move switching him to the back-row against Newcastle on Friday.
While ultimately I think he will cause the most damage in the centres, I like the thinking behind getting him more involved in the game by throwing him into the pack.
In League, Burgess was renowned for big hits and carries, so switching him to flanker should bring him into the game more and allow him to do what he does best and get stuck in from the off.
Too much time is spent waiting for the ball or chasing kicks in the centres whereas the back-row is the epicentre of the action. At blindside he should feel comfortable being a wrecking ball in defence like Dan Lydiate and a busting ball-carrier like Sean O’Brien.
He made nine tackles against Newcastle, didn’t miss one, and carried for 49 metres. However he conceded three turnovers and there is a danger that the breakdown could be his undoing – if he gets flustered he could be a penalty machine – and the lineout calls will take some adjusting to. But if he sticks to the basics of carrying and tackling he has a great opportunity to get his hands on the ball more frequently and make an impact throughout.
It is a great opportunity to see if he can get more touches of the ball and become the influential force he was in League. At this stage of his development why not experiment and make him feel as comfortable as possible by playing his natural game.
This Bath team is pretty special, and developing into genuine title contenders, so to even be in the mix at this stage of his integration is impressive. Considering he’s played just 16 games for Bath including the Falcons clash, he’s not done badly at all. Maybe we have all asked too much of him – although undoubtedly not as much as Sam has asked of himself.
His overall performance against Falcons wouldn’t have caught or lost the eye of anyone important watching.
He mistimed a couple of runs off Ford which tells part of the story of where is, the adjustment and timing required which will come with more game time. Once those elements come together he will perform more consistently and start to influence games.
His World Cup dream is still alive, but to catch the eye you have to score tries, make big tackles or turnover balls.
If Burgess starts to do some or all regularly he’s going to stay where he is in the selection pecking order for both Bath and England.