Burgess busting for the back row?
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The Aviva A League could provide the platform for Sam Burgess to make his third Bath Rugby debut of the season on Monday – in the back row.
It has been a fortnight of firsts for the former rugby league superstar.
He made Bath’s match-day squad for the first time against Harlequins on November 28 and his maiden start came against Montpellier on Friday, at inside centre.
Head coach Mike Ford had hoped to give Burgess a run in the back row – where he feels he will end up doing the most damage – in the final quarter of the European Champions Cup win at The Rec.
In the end it proved too tight as Bath pushed for the all-important four-try bonus point. But, speaking to the media after the game, with his right eye swollen from an early clash, Burgess revealed he is likely to join the pack when the A league resumes this week.
“I’m just playing where Mike puts me at the moment. I’m doing a bit of practice in different positions, seeing which I enjoy most, but at the moment I’m just playing.”
Monday's Bath United game at London Welsh may come too soon, although Burgess, a player used to putting in mammoth shifts during his rugby league career, will be able to rest up for the best part of three days before that trip.
A start with No.6 or No.8 on his back could come at home to London Irish’s second string on December 22, depending on how much game time he gets in what is bound to be a fiery West Country derby against Gloucester next Saturday.
As for his first full 80 minutes in the 15-man code, Burgess said: “I felt OK. I don’t want to say I was disappointed, but I think there’s a lot of things I can get better at, which is expected.
“I’m not hiding from the fact of that, but there were some things I really enjoyed out there.
“I didn’t feel too bad, positionally. It’s more finding the right position in terms of getting on the ball.
“At the break down a couple of times, I could be better at that, but it’s not quite instinct yet. I’ll practice now under more intensity and I think I’ll learn a lot from tonight.
“The strategy’s really important from the first minute, whereas recently I’ve been coming on when games are kind of won already.
“I had to play smart and fit in the structures, so overall I’m happy and thankful we got the bonus point as well, otherwise I think Mike would have been a bit unhappy.”
Bath Chronicle
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