England v Samoa: Sam Burgess believes a new rugby league power may emerge in Samoa
Back-row superstar, who is set to appear in his third World Cup in four years across two codes, knows all too well the dangers the Pacific island pose
SAM BURGESS reckons we may be seeing the start of a new world order as England find themselves targets of a Samoan shock.
The back-row star, who is set to appear in his third World Cup in four years across two codes, knows all too well the dangers the Pacific island pose.
A change in eligibility rules means players can nominate a tier one nation – Australia, England or New Zealand – and a tier two nation, with the ability to switch between them.
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That means the likes of Anthony Milford, Josh McGuire, Joey Leilua, Sam Kasiano and Antonio Winterstein will face Wayne Bennett’s men today.
And Burgess is under no illusions about the size of the task in front of him and his team-mates.
He said: “They’re a huge, physical team and the squad they’ve picked has some outstanding players in great form.
“Anthony Milford in the halves has been one of the form players of the competition, while Joey Leilua has been playing with Elliott Whitehead and Josh Hodgson at Canberra and has been probably the best centre in the game.
“They will have a huge forward pack and it should be a great test match. Junior Paulo has been in great form, and Suaia Matagi at Parramatta has been carrying the ball strong.
“You can’t really look past any of those big, athletic ball players. For me as a forward it’s a great challenge at this level.
“It’s great for the international game that all the players have made themselves available for these matches, and it’s great for us to have a test match together so there’s not as much space between matches.
“The new eligibility rules that have come in are great for the game at this level. It means that the best players in the world will all be making themselves available for the World Cup and that should make for a strong tournament.
“As players and fans that’s what we want to see, and we should see some great football this weekend.”
Burgess, who plays for NRL side South Sydney, will start at prop after skipper Sean O’Loughlin returned at loose-forward.
But for him, the result is not as important as the performance.
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The 28-year-old added: “The performance is more what we’re after at the moment, it’s the most important thing.
“We’re faced with a great challenge but if we control our performance and get things right then the result will look after itself.
“It won’t be a walk in the park - it will be a battle and that is what test match football should be all about.
“The positive thing from the Four Nations is that the things that need changing aren’t drastic - it’s a matter of changing little things and working on them together. That will give us a good chance.”