I’ve moved in to the pack to help me crack this code...
TONIGHT I’ll be wearing Bath’s No 6 shirt for the second time in a Premiership game. The switch from midfield has worked for myself and the team, so I’m hoping I can carry on playing in the back row for the rest of this season.
The change of position was a decision my head coach, Mike Ford, made after the Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster.
He phoned me a day after that game to discuss playing me in the back row to maximize my on-field minutes in our run home, to what I call ‘the big dance’: that’s the finals. He thought No 6 would suit the way we are trying to play as a team and also suit my personal strengths and I agreed.
In league, for nine years, my game has been about taking short balls and looking for holes. At Bath, that is what our forwards do, so moving into the pack makes sense and allows me more time on the field, which is what I need to keep improving my union brain.
We’ve got, hopefully, five weeks left in the Premiership and if all goes well I will stay at six, but I don’t want to be pigeon-holed.
I’ve found that has happened a lot since I switched codes. Whether I’m playing at 12, playing at 13 or playing at six, to me, it doesn’t make much difference to my attitude.
I’ve found only subtle differences between the positions. Despite enjoying playing at flanker, I have not given up on a centre spot in my future in the game.
I had a go at six earlier in the season in a couple of A-league games, but obviously that is not the same standard. Now, I feel more comfortable at the breakdown than I did a few months ago and I’m even getting to grips with the line-out.
I find myself on the ball more, but I was disappointed by a few dropped balls. I never seemed to drop the ball as much in league!
We’re addressing that now — my technique going into contact can improve. In union, you can contest for the ball more in the tackle than you can in league, so I’ve had to adapt a bit. I was maybe leading with the ball a bit too much.
Another subtle difference between the codes is that in union players throw spin passes whereas in league, I was used to end-overend passes.
Now I’ve played in two positions, it is interesting to compare them. When I was in midfield, I thought that being a back was tougher and now I am in the pack, I realise that the forwards are the ones putting in the hard yards, but I’m sure if I go back into the backline, I’ll change my mind again! It was a great experience to spend time with the England squad.
It was fantastic for me to rub shoulders with those players and pick up a few tips.
I didn’t go in there with any mind-set other than to be myself and enjoy spending time with players I wouldn’t normally getet to sit down and have a brew with.
Training was intense and I enjoyed it. You never know when the opportunity will come round again, so I just tried to make the most of it. Stuart (Lancaster) wants me to do well in the game and wants me to be around the top players in that environment as much as possible, which is great.
He just told me to keep doing what I’ve been doing.
Obviously he has some pretty tough decisions to make, but he was pretty straight-up with me about where I stood. He told me I wouldn’t be part of those Six Nations matches, but he was very happy with how I’m going.
I was at the last game against France. It was a great day for the sport and showed how freely people can play when the situation allows it. The atmosphere was unbelievable and the other players I spoke to said it was probably the best atmosphere they had ever experienced at Twickenham.
That’s why I’m here; to be around that sort of atmosphere and to test myself on the best stage. It would have been wonderful to be part of that game. At around that time there were rumours in Australia that Manly wanted me back in the NRL. My brother, Luke, is there and suddenly my name was being mentioned, but anyone who knows my personality knows that there’s no way I would go back until I have given it a very good crack in union. For now, I’ll keep giving my best in that Bath No 6 shirt. Sam Burgess is a Canterbury ambassador and face of the Since 1904 fashion collection. To see the range, visit www.canterbury.com