England new boy Sam Burgess riles Wales by asking who Scott Williams is, as the dragon gets fired up ahead of Twickenham

  • Sam Burgess was named in the England team to face Wales on Saturday
  • Burgess immediately riled Wales by claiming not to know of Scott Williams
  • Burgess will play at inside centre and will come up against Williams

It did not take long for Sam Burgess to be introduced to the raging intensity of the Anglo-Welsh rivalry. 

No sooner had his starting selection been confirmed on Thursday than he was embroiled in cross-border tension.

There were wildly contrasting views about whether he fell or jumped willingly into the swirling hostility that so often accompanies this volatile fixture. Suffice to say that England’s cross-code No 12 was being defended and castigated in equal measure.

Sam Burgess riled Wales when he addressed the media, shortly after being named in England's starting team

Sam Burgess riled Wales when he addressed the media, shortly after being named in England's starting team

Burgess claimed not to know who Scott Williams, the man who will oppose him on Saturday for Wales, is

Burgess claimed not to know who Scott Williams, the man who will oppose him on Saturday for Wales, is

Burgess has been named at inside centre for England against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday

Burgess has been named at inside centre for England against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday

After being named at inside centre in a revamped midfield unit, Burgess was brought in to address the media. 

In front of a line of cameras, he was asked about his promotion to the starting XV and then came the spark that lit so many Welsh fuses. When it was put to the Bath player that Wales’s Scott Williams said he would prefer to play against him than Jonathan Joseph, he said: ‘Who’s that?’

The look on his face conveyed uncertainty — at least to this observer. Informed that the reference was to the Wales centre he would be facing tomorrow, Burgess grinned and added: ‘Oh yes. Ok, yes. I’ll just wait and see. I’ll just let my performance do the talking.’

While the conversation moved on, the day’s agenda had been parked right there, the handbrake had been put on and the ignition turned off. 

All of a sudden, this was the talking point. In fact, so totally did this little sideshow drag attention away from England’s controversial selection that a cynic might have speculated that Stuart Lancaster had put him up to it.

Within a couple of hours, the Welsh dragon’s indignation about this perceived slur was at boiling point — as crudely apparent on social media. 

Reports invoked Ben Cohen’s infamous ‘Shane who?’ remark, in relation to Shane Williams, which saw him vilified in Wales.

One theory was that Burgess is fully aware who Scott Williams is and delivered a deliberate put-down, in response to a perceived slight from his opponent. Yet, it appears more likely that he was momentarily wrong-footed by the question and needed the clarification that it was the Scarlets player who had been referred to.

Either way, while the public out-cry rumbles on, neither camp will consider it to be of any real importance. 

Burgess himself is so infused with conviction and self-belief that he will not worry for a second; about the awkward moment on camera, about the Welsh midfield, about starting in a World Cup game while still a Test novice in union — any of it.

Burgess will not worry about his query to the press about his opponent but he has been criticised for it

Burgess will not worry about his query to the press about his opponent but he has been criticised for it

Starting a World Cup game for England is what was in Burgess's sights when he switched from rugby league

Starting a World Cup game for England is what was in Burgess's sights when he switched from rugby league

Burgess says he does not worry about the England midfield changes and that he has faith in Stuart Lancaster

Burgess says he does not worry about the England midfield changes and that he has faith in Stuart Lancaster

JUST ONE YEAR AGO... 

A battered and bruised Sam Burgess posed for a selfie with his mum Julie on October 5, 2104 after his Australian rugby league team the South Sydney Rabbitohs had beaten the Canterbury Bulldogs 30-6 in the 2014 NRL Grand Final in Sydney. 

Burgess, who had already announced his plans to move to English rugby union and Bath, suffered a broken cheekbone in the first tackle of the game, but played on and was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for best player in the match.

Burgess poses with his mother, Julie

Burgess poses with his mother, Julie

This is the peak he had in his sights when he switched from league last October. These are the heights that he wants to operate at and, despite bumps along the way, his ascent has been rapid and emphatic. 

Asked if he had imagined this scenario as he began his transition, Burgess said: ‘Yes. I did imagine it. I had a vision of doing it. I feel comfortable. 

'This was my goal, this was what I wanted to achieve; to be part of this squad.’

Burgess’s progress has been forensically studied at every step along the way — analysed and often criticised. The great and the good have lined up to say he is not ready, it is too soon, he will be found out. Well, so far he has made a mockery of the doomsayers. Now he is part of a midfield shake-up which has prompted a torrent of scorn, but he will not worry about that either.

‘It’s their opinion,’ he said. ‘I believe in myself. I feel like I’ve got the respect of my team-mates and the staff here. Those are the opinions that really count to me. I’ll just wait and see on Saturday.

‘I don’t believe what people say. I believe in Stuart (Lancaster). I believe what he’s picked. My job as a player is to go out and deliver the job that he’s given me. That’s my main focus at the moment. As a group we deal with the exterior talk and everything well. As a group we move on and believe in ourselves.’

What awaits Burgess at Twickenham on Saturday is an occasion which will throb with primal ferocity — and an opponent aiming to show the English upstart whose realm he has wandered into.

Jamie Roberts is a Wales stalwart who wore No 12 for the Lions on their last two tours and will seek to capitalise on any slight uncertainty or hesitancy demonstrated by his new, heavyweight rival.

‘Jamie’s a great player; very big and dominant,’ said Burgess — who will have a weight advantage of around a stone. ‘I’m looking forward to the battle. I don’t want to make any bold predictions, but I’ll be ready on Saturday.’

Burgess did acknowledge the threat of Jamie Roberts for Wales when England meet them on Saturday

Burgess did acknowledge the threat of Jamie Roberts for Wales when England meet them on Saturday

The England team selected by Stuart Lancaster to take on Wales in the World Cup at Twickenham

The England team selected by Stuart Lancaster to take on Wales in the World Cup at Twickenham

The Wales team selected by Warren Gatland to take on England at Twickenham in the World Cup on Saturday

The Wales team selected by Warren Gatland to take on England at Twickenham in the World Cup on Saturday

As for the magnitude of the fixture and all that surrounds it, he added: ‘It’s going to be a whole different beast. It’s a World Cup, it’s at Twickenham. It’s a home game. It’s a different occasion.

‘I’ve got no experience against Wales. I’ve never played against them before. I’ve got none of the scars or bad experiences against them. I’m just looking forward to it.’

There is no way that abuse on social media over a put-down — deliberate or inadvertent — will scar Burgess. It will take more than that to knock him from his stride. He has blazed a trail to the summit of his new game and now he is determined to stay there and savour the view.

 

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