'DON'T HEAP PRESSURE ON BURGESS'

MARTIN JOHNSON has warned England fans the levels of expectation around controversial squad selection Sam Burgess, left, had outstripped his ability to help the team during the World Cup. ‘Burgess came in and everyone was saying “brilliant” before he had even played,’ Johnson, England’s World Cup-winning captain in 2003, said. ‘You can’t anoint him the saviour of English rugby before he’s even played. He will find it tough. ‘Number 12 is a difficult position. Burgess is a good guy to get the ball to and let him run with it. Rugby league is a little bit more simplistic. He has got a lot to do but he is a big strong boy. ‘People say he’s got an aura. Sure, he’s got an aura until he gets exposed by someone. ‘It’s like Steff Armitage in Toulon. He has this aura of being the greatest 7 in England. He plays in a great team at Toulon and does very, very well. But there’s Test match rugby and then there’s playing the big boys. ‘Then there’s playing the Boks, the All Blacks and the Aussies. That’s the top-end stuff and he’s not proven at that level so just calm yourself until he’s proved it.’ Johnson, England’s coach at the 2011 World Cup when they were knocked out by France in the quarter-finals, believes Stuart Lancaster’s team are genuine contenders. ‘I think a lot of teams are in a similar position to us,’ Johnson said. ‘France, Wales, Ireland, Australia. Even South Africa have lost some form. ‘In 2003 we were vastly experienced and had a couple of guys like Jason Robinson and Ben Cohen who hit world class pretty quick. Teams have got to World Cup finals since off no form like England in 07 and France in 11. They have found something that worked for them, playing wise and mentality wise and just got there. This year, I think it’s wide open.'