Burgess driven by Wallaby honour

Australia scrum-half Luke Burgess has every confidence his front-row colleagues will do their jersey justice ahead of Saturday's clash with England at Twickenham.

Australia scrum-half Luke Burgess has every confidence his front-row colleagues will do their jersey justice ahead of their clash with England at Twickenham.

The NSW Waratahs star has been a revelation this season for both franchise and the Wallabies, leading to him being tipped as a more than capable successor to George Gregan behind the scrum.

Still well over a century of caps shy of the former captain's record, Burgess is just beginning to mature into his position in Robbie Deans' jigsaw – but he's certainly desperate to become a similar mainstay in the Gold number nine role.

“I think I've been very privileged and lucky to have the opportunity that I've been given and I owe a lot to many people,” Burgess revealed, speaking in an exclusive interview with Planet Rugby.

“It's been an extremely rewarding period and I'm very honoured and excited about making a continued contribution in the future.”

Burgess featured prominently for the Wallabies during their recent Tri-Nations efforts and since making his debut against Ireland last year, his attitude imparts an air of infectious positivity and confidence that every coach desires from their international scrum-half.

The Wallabies touched down in England on Sunday evening ahead of the looming Cook Cup showpiece fresh from a hard-fought 30-20 win over a fired up Italian side.

Burgess admitted it was a stern but expected examination in Padova that saw several positives taken by the team.

“It was tough last weekend and the Italians certainly played well so we need to be on our game this Saturday,” he said, before admitting it was vital just to get a win under the tour belt.

“Robbie [Deans] remained excited about the challenges ahead and we are always looking forward so we'll take positives out of that match that will hopefully help us grow as a team.”

However, there were two significant negatives that came out of the game with the Azzurri as fellow backs Timana Tahu and Berrick Barnes suffered tour-ending injuries.

And unsurprisingly the 25-year-old Burgess revealed it was a sombre Australian camp following the news on the duo's fate.

“They were extremely disappointed and everyone in the squad felt for them and they'll be sorely missed,” he empathised.

With key centre or fly-half Barnes ruled out, there will subsequently be more emphasis placed on star pivot Matt Giteau's shoulders to control the playmaking role against France, Wales, the Barbarians and this Saturday's rivals England.

Yet however much Australia may quietly feel they have enough attacking threats to pose problems against Martin Johnson's inexperienced back line – as they demonstrated against the Springboks and All Blacks over recent months – the grounded number nine was quick to direct a large part of praise onto his opponents.

“They played very well last weekend against the Pacific Islanders and they are certainly very skilful and talented,” Burgess said.

“I think England are an extremely confident outfit and I don't think they let themselves get ruffled by any challenge. They certainly look like a very skilful and capable team.

“Their defence is also very sound so we're going to have to really work hard and be on our game if we're to find any weaknesses.

“However, our own enthusiasm and willingness to work are our strengths as Wallabies. We're probably not the most creative of sides but we're prepared to work hard for each other and that is a good strength.”

One reported weakness in the visitors' game that the bulk of English media have pinpointed over recent days has been the scrum set-piece – much to the anger and frustration of some of the opposing press.

Back in France 2007 just thirteen months ago, Andrew Sheridan and company famously dominated Australia's pack in the World Cup quarter-final en route to their contest against eventual champions South Africa.

However, following impressive performances in both the tight and loose Tri-Nations exchanges of late, Burgess has every confidence in hooker Stephen Moore and his props to prove their worth.

“Our boys have been scrummaging extremely well and they've certainly performed this year in the Tri-Nations and last weekend against Italy. The scrum was fantastic so I have full confidence in them,” he praised.

“I haven't played England before so I don't know much about their scrum but I have every faith in Al [Baxter] and Benn [Robinson].”

In the six internationals that took place over last weekend, all three southern hemisphere giants prevailed over the northern hosts while England impressively defeated the Pacific Islanders on Johnson's full debut at the helm.

However, in contrast the Wallabies surprised many by shrugging off their third-favourite tag in Tri-Nations 2008 as they reached a winner-take-all game against New Zealand on the final day.

The form and build-up all bodes well for an open Test on Saturday with Burgess concluding by playing down his side's southern achievement as he continued with an admirable air of confidence and realism that should, and will, pose problems for England and beyond in what should be a long international career.

“I feel we let ourselves down in the end [losing out in Brisbane to the All Blacks],” he said.

“I think it was a great learning experience and there are a lot of positives that came out of the Tri-Nations and it certainly always will be a challenging tournament.

“But as Australians and Wallabies we're extremely hungry to get success and we haven't had it for a while so we're really focused on pushing hard to improve on our placing next year.”

By Adam Kyriacou

Luke Burgess was designing his boots ahead of Saturday's England v Australia match in the iD Studio at Nike Town London. To book your own Nike iD appointment and create your own footwear, call (0207 612 0990) or visit www.nikeid.com/londonstudio.