Shane Williams’ column: Sam Burgess is a beast, but is he really ready yet?
They scored tries, have as much strength in depth as any country and Stuart Lancaster has tried out a few different combinations.
But the headache remains at centre.
You can tell Lancaster really wants to play Burgess but is probably still a bit nervous over his defence.
Don’t get me wrong, that lad can tackle. But in Rugby League there is only one type of defence and that’s the blitz.
You rush up and take out whatever is coming in your channel. But in Rugby Union there are times you have to drift and that’s when he looks uncomfortable.
Other centres look less suspect in that area and that’s probably why he wasn’t starting in the Six Nations.
There’s a lot of jostling for the jerseys and Henry Slade looked good alongside Burgess against France.
But it would be a gamble for Lancaster to start Burgess against the likes of Jamie Roberts and Scott Williams because the Welsh boys could get some joy.
It’s a steep learning curve for Burgess and he has come a long way in a short space of time. He is clearly learning all the time and will get better as the tournament goes on. But facing Wales could be too soon as the midfield would then be an area Wales could exploit.
By that time the first round of games will have come and gone and I can tell you that all the players will be relieved to finally be getting down to business.
This fortnight before the World Cup kicks-off is the longest two weeks of your life. It’s like kids waiting for Christmas, you’re counting the days.
Players will be glad to see the back of all the fitness work, the testing, the altitude training, the warm-weather camps and the endless running.
They will all feel in the best shape of their lives and there’s only one thing you want to do and that’s get out onto that pitch. You’re itching to play and it can’t come quick enough.
England will be especially keen to get out there.
As hosts, the attention and scrutiny that usually comes with playing for England is magnified by a hundred and pressure is steadily building. For players, the best release valve is playing the game.
But there’s no doubt that England expects and the team must deliver.
Many host nations have struggled to match that expectation. Australia were joint-hosts in 1987 but finished fourth, then England (1991), Wales (1999), Australia (2003) and France (2007) all fell-short. In fact only South Africa and New Zealand have clinched the Webb Ellis Trophy on home soil, such is the pressure.
Saying that, Wales will be happy to come home during the World Cup. They are playing two games at the Millennium Stadium and would be quite happy if there were a few more.
As a Welshman, it’s the place you dreamt of playing at and can lift you to new levels. The only problem is that it can also lift the opposition. Wales will spend the four weeks in the pool stage heading back and forth along the M4 motorway but that’s no hassle. In fact they will be the least disturbed team at the World Cup apart from England.
It was different back in 2007 when we also played two pool games in Cardiff.
We felt adrift of the tournament out on the west coast of France in a remote seaside town – La Baule – out of season. We had also gone to the same place for our summer training camp so when we returned for the World Cup everyone felt stale before the tournament had begun.
Coming home then was something of a relief but it still didn’t feel like we were at the World Cup.
Somehow I think it’s going to be a very different story this time around.
