Burgess will want to make his presence felt, insists Robinson
FORMER England winger Jason Robinson insists fellow rugby league convert Sam Burgess will not be content with a place among head coach Stuart Lancaster’s replacements when the World Cup gets underway next week.
Burgess was one of four centres named in Lancaster’s 31-man squad for the home tournament, which starts on 18 September when England play Fiji at Twickenham, despite only switching codes less than a year ago.
Robinson scored England’s sole try during their 2003 World Cup final victory over Australia in Sydney, one of 28 in 51 Tests, and the 41-year-old expects Burgess to make his mark.
“Sam will be looking to make an impact,” said Robinson. “Getting into the squad is a massive achievement already, but he won’t be satisfied with that, he will want to make the starting XV.
“He has that mentality where he wants to succeed, he wants to be the best and he wants to compete against the best. I don’t think we have seen the best of him yet, there is a lot more to come.
“He can be one of those players that makes a difference, and I am sure we will see it over the next six or seven weeks.”
Burgess has made just two warm-up appearances for England and due to his limited international experience, Robinson believes the ex-South Sydney Rabbitohs star needs to accentuate the qualities he does possess.
“He might be new to the game and not have the same knowledge as other people, but he has got to make up for that with the things that he can bring,” added Robinson.
“They’ve talked about how he is in training, what he has brought, his leadership qualities. That will make a difference, especially in a squad that has got quite a bit of inexperience.”