Burgess gets some special attention

Robbie Deans is proving that he is prepared to put in the extra work to get the best he can out of his players, with scrum-half Luke Burgess a prime example.

Robbie Deans is proving that he is prepared to put in the extra work to get the best he can out of his players, with scrum-half Luke Burgess a prime example.

Burgess, who made his Test debut against Ireland two weeks ago, struggled with his box kicking and as a result has come in for some special attention from Deans.

Twice after training this week Deans and Burgess have stayed behind to put in the extra work required to improve Burgess' kicking game.

And rather than complain to be held back Burgess is loving the attention to detail and commitment to his players that Deans is demonstrating.

“The way he coaches us is fantastic,” Burgess told The Australian.

“It is nice and he's very experienced and got a lot of good technical knowledge that's really helpful.

“My box-kicking has been a little bit shaky. I didn't do too much through the Super 14, so it's a little bit inconsistent.”

Burgess admitted that he needed to do the extra work with Deans to bring his skills up to scratch.

“It has to become usual. It hasn't been,” Burgess said. “I've probably been letting myself down with the amount of skill exercises I've been doing, so I need to increase that.

“It takes me a lot longer than most people to get basic skills up to scratch, so I need to certainly put in the time after training.”

With just one cap to his name thus far Burgess is already settling into his own style – a speedy no-nonsense delivery of the ball to his half-back partner Matt Giteau.

Unlike his predecessor in the Wallaby number nine jersey, George Gregan, Burgess does not take a step back from the ruck before clearing the ball.

“I've found that it just allows the defence to rush and it puts pressure on the outside,” Burgess said.

“No matter how quick your pass is, if you don't get it out of your hands, it can put a lot of pressure on people.

“So getting that ball moving, playing it off the ground is ideal.”

The Waratahs scrum-half did not have it all his own way against Ireland though, becoming increasingly involved in contact at the breakdown towards the end of the game.

An honest pack of forwards took the blame for allowing the Irish back row to get to Burgess, and they have vowed not to let it happen against France in Sydney on Saturday.

That said Burgess is also aware that he needs to make a few minor adjustments to his own game to ensure a smoother service for Giteau and his support runners.

“It's more about timing the breakdown and not just having protection, but having an idea of where you are going to shift the ball,” Burgess said.

“A couple of times I'd go there, get the ball out, and not have a decision made in my head.

“That's a crucial part of it. Timing the breakdown and making sure I'm there to clear out when the ball is cleared.”

Wallabies prop Matt Dunning said he suspected the French would try to monster Burgess at the breakdown as well.

“The French will watch that game and see the Irish got inroads counter-rucking and trying to get hands on the half-back,” Dunning said. “We'll have to clean that up.”

“I think scrum and maul they are going to be very strong and I think that's where they are going to take us on.

“Obviously, against Ireland early on in the maul we let a couple in and we got good after that. We can't just warm to it like we did in that game.”