Burgess Named In The England Squad

Its happened. Sam Burgess has been named in England's World Cup squad.

I, for one, am delighted by his inclusion. He is a fantastic player who showcased his talents in Rugby league year after year. There is no doubt Australia do not want to see Sam Burgess playing against them on October 3rd.

He is also a player who performs, if not raises his game, on the big stage as he had does time and time again in the Super League and NRL as well as for England and Great Britain.

I know he has only played for 10 months and there is still plenty of debate over what his best position is, however when you look at the options at centre his selection is a no-brainer. Luther Burrell for me should have been in the squad at the expense of Brad Barritt, who seems immune from criticism in the press. For me, his performances do not merit such an untouchable status.

Now obviously not everyone is happy with his inclusion, ex-england scrum half Matt Dawson has already commented he doesn't believe Burgess should be included. His opinion is perfectly valid however as I said when you look at the alternatives his selection should not come as much of a surprise. The likes of Billy Twelvetrees have failed to impress despite being given countless chances.

One certainty about the tournament already is that if England perform well or even win the World Cup it will be nothing to do with Sam Burgess, however the moment England lose whether in the Final, Semi-Final or even in the group stage you can guarantee he will be the main point of criticism. The rest of the squad and management will certainly get off lightly in comparison.

It may be 2015, but the snobbery from the former Rugby Union players and media towards Rugby League is still as strong as ever. It was the same in the beginning with Jason Robinson. Initially I remember the great Jeremy Guscott savaging Robinson on television, yet he is now a Rugby Union legend and treated as one of their own.

I do hope Burgess and England have a successful tournament however I am sure many in the media are already writing their articles bashing Burgess' selection just waiting for England to lose.

Surely the person to criticise is Stuart Lancaster by stating the lamentable fact that after having 4 years to prepare, a Rugby League convert who has only played the game for 10 months is the best option England have got.

In my opinion England will not win the World Cup and the main reason I believe this is Stuart Lancaster.  His selections, and more importantly his substitutions, have cost England matches in recent years. I do not understand why he is so obsessed with making so many changes in the final 20/25 minutes of matches all over the field. I hope he has learnt from past mistakes and we will not see it again in this tournament.

Ultimately, worst of all I will watch Sam Burgess being wasted at this tournament wishing he was with the England Rugby League for their 3 match test series with New Zealand in early November.