Burgess calm before Saxons debut

Sam Burgess is unfazed by all the World Cup hype and expectation surrounding his England Saxons debut in Cork, according to coach Jon Callard.

Rugby league convert Burgess receives lift-off in his World Cup fast-tracking on Friday night, lining up in an England shirt in union for the first time as he faces the Irish Wolfhounds.

Bath's 26-year-old battering-ram will partner Elliot Daly in the centres, with Exeter's Henry Slade at fly-half in a team captained by Northampton's Lee Dickson.

Saxons head coach Callard said Friday's Cork clash is a chance for Burgess to "test the waters" on his international pedigree, under the watchful gaze of England's senior boss Stuart Lancaster.

"I've watched Sam from afar in how he's evolving in the game, he's an impressive character," said Callard of Burgess, who only joined Bath in late October.

"We're all excited for Sam, but we're taking it very, very calmly.

"There's plenty of time for him to develop.

"There's huge expectation obviously, but it's an opportunity to test the waters at this level, see where he is, then reassess and put another plan together.

"He's certainly capable of playing international rugby: we'll know a little more after Friday night.

"He won't be fazed by it, none of these guys are fazed by it."

Burgess' much-heralded switch from South Sydney Rabbitohs to Bath has yielded constant speculation on the league superstar's chances of featuring in this year's World Cup.

England coach Lancaster believes winning a first cap during the Six Nations would be a "big, big ask" as Burgess continues to wrestle with union's intricacies.

Former Bath and England full-back Callard said the Saxons coaching staff have seized the challenge of building an attacking platform to allow Burgess to strut his stuff in Cork.

"The challenge for us is creating a gameplan to get the best of him, and all the others too," said Callard.

"We've got to give them that opportunity to show what they can do.

"Sam's an impressive young man who has done it at the top level of one sport and has come over to this sport in his prime.

"Individually he might make some errors, and I think he will live with that and learn from that.

"If he does get exposed it will be about the system we've tried to put in place, either a defensive framework or attacking framework.

"I do not think it would be an individual exposure, it would be because the system wasn't correct."

Callard admitted he has warned his players the Irish line-up will have precious little second-string feel about it.

"It's great for the senior coaches to get a chance to see these guys in action at a high level," said Callard.

"Slade's been playing exceptionally well at Exeter, the back-three we have is extremely dangerous, then there's the likes of Elliot Daly and Ollie Devoto, it's quite exciting as a backline.

"With people likely to be involved in Ireland's senior team the following week it's always a tough game.

"Traditionally this was the game they would treat as their final trial, and there's an element of that with guys coming back from injury and aiming to prove their fitness."