THE BRUISE BROTHERS ARE BACK
TOM BURGESS says big brother Sam is raring to go as England prepare for their quarter-final showdown with unpredictable Papua New Guinea.
Sam sat out group games against Lebanon and France after sustaining a knee injury in the opening defeat by Australia.
He immediately targeted a last-eight return against a Kumuls side who have won three games in impressive style on their home ground in Port Moresby.
Now Tom – who has arguably been England’s best forward in his brother’s absence – is looking forward to having Sam back on the field.
Tom (below) said: “He’s been working very hard and is looking good so it’ll be good to have him back.
“Every player goes through injury and he’s experienced enough to know exactly what he needs to do to get back out there.
“Not much is going to stop him when he gets his mind on something.
“Sam’s very competitive so he’s been working hard and has always been in my ear, helping me.
“It will be good to have him there in the physical form, though.
“If it was down to him, he would have played this week but you never know with knee injuries. You’ve just got to wait and see.”
PNG have been one of the success stories of the tournament, with their fervent supporters roaring them to wins over Wales, Ireland and the USA.
Facing England in Melbourne will be an entirely different proposition for the Kumuls – but Burgess has warned England against complacency.
He added: “There are no second chances now.
“It’s all or nothing now. We want to be playing against the best teams and Papua New Guinea have shown they’re a great team this year.
“I haven’t watched much of them yet, to be honest, but they’ll be coming with a lot of pride and they’re all rock-solid.
“They’ll be coming with some confidence and will be very tough to stop.”
PNG have their own injury issue, with star winger Garry Lo – who joins Castleford next season – limping out of the win over USA with a knee complaint.