I knew moving to rugby union would take me out of my comfort zone and that is definitely what has happened in the past couple of months, but I’m still more determined than ever to make it work. Even though I’m a player from league trying to learn a new sport, there has been a lot of hype around me and I’m expected to do something special every time I play, which is quite hard when I’m still working out the basics. I was under massive scrutiny when I was in the NRL in Australia, but that was different because I was established and knew the game. Since I’ve joined Bath, I know everything I do is being watched and dissected, which is no surprise to me given the build-up to my arrival and the way my season finished in Australia. Sam Burgess has relished his time with Bath thus far but knows he has plenty of learning ahead of him . Burgess played outside centre in his side's recent 17-8 loss to Leicester at Welford Road . Burgess admits the transition from playing rugby league in Australia (above) to union has been tough . When I’m on the field, those thoughts never enter my mind, but sometimes it’s hard to miss what people are saying post-match on social media and even just when I’m grabbing a brew at a cafe in Bath. The key is to not let all the chat affect my confidence in learning a new game which, quite frankly at the moment, I’m a novice at! I’ve been totally honest about my transition by admitting I’m finding it even harder than I expected. There’s no point me saying that it’s easy because it definitely isn’t. I understand now even more than I did before just how much work it’s going to take to be successful. I just need more time out on the field, in matches. It’s been useful to see the game as a back and as a forward. I’ve been playing at centre for the first team but I’ve also had a couple of run-outs for the ‘A’ team as a flanker and that has been helpful. It’s been like a very intense practice session really — out of the spotlight, with not as many people watching those games, so I can make mistakes and get away with them a bit more! Burgess is still learning his trade, especially in defence, after crossing codes from rugby league . There were a few thousand people at our home game, including a few boys from the squad who sat up in a box eating curry! At Exeter there was a crowd of 5-6,000, which was a great turn-out. But of course it was a bit of a change in occasion, after being in an unbelievable competition in the NRL and finishing with a Grand Final win in Sydney. I had to see the games in a different way; as a learning process to help me develop my skills. In my first ‘A’ game, there was a guy from London Irish who gave me a bit of stick. We were in a ruck and he was giving it to me, saying, “You don’t know what you’re doing”. He was probably right, so I just said, “Maybe not, but I know how to tackle, so run at me and we’ll see how it goes!” It was good banter. Burgess admits to struggling with certain technical aspects with the lineout (above) proving a big challenge . Meditation became a valuable tool for me when I was playing rugby league in Australia and it’s a technique I’ll carry on using for the rest of my career. I was quite sceptical when we first started meditating at South Sydney, but I began to connect with the people who were doing the sessions so I bought into it. It was all about opening up our minds and talking to each other a bit more, and also about clearing your own mind in terms of being calm and ready to perform. We used techniques to bring ourselves back down to a calm level if we found ourselves getting frustrated or lost confidence during a game. Since joining Bath, I’ve been having sessions with Don Macpherson, who works with F1 drivers and other sportsmen, and lives two minutes away from me. I find it really helpful. It helps me stay calm, keeps my blood pressure down and keeps my mind focused. It’s even helped me to go easier on refs when decisions go against me! I truly believe that meditation was a big part of our success at Souths. Just before the biggest games of the year, the guys would be laughing and joking, but then everyone would switch on and be in the right mental state to play. As I see it, the brain is a muscle and I’ve got to train it like I train other muscles. At Bath, it’s been helping me to visualise the game and accelerate my learning. You train your brain with little triggers so when you get into certain match situations, your mind subconsciously knows how to react. It is really useful for me during this transition phase. I had mentally prepared myself for the fact that there would be a change in the number of plays I would be involved in during games, but it’s still been tough to get used to. The amount of distance covered is similar to what I was doing in league, but in union there is lot more kick-chasing, running off the ball and getting back into position. Last weekend at Leicester, I think I touched the ball once in the first 40 minutes, so I had to keep my hands warm! People who follow and play league don’t quite understand it. My mates have been taking the p*** out of me about it. They were having a laugh because it showed on TV that I’d made 15 metres, or something like that. If you did that in league, it would be embarrassing. It’s just different; I’m finding there are less opportunities in union and you don’t have as much space to play with between the lines of defence. Union is more of a mental, tactical game and I’m enjoying the strategic side of it. I like to describe it as a game of chess (to all my mates in league reading this!). I’ve found the rucks hard to get used to, but I’m starting to learn all the sneaky little tactics. I remember my first ruck against Quins; I carried the ball, ended up on the floor on my side and the next thing I knew I was being kneed in the forehead by my own team-mate cleaning the ruck. I felt like road-kill! It’s such a different experience to being tackled in league, but a fun one. I’ve found the scrums hard too. I couldn’t be a prop — there’s so much pressure on their bodies in there. When you get a seven or eight-second scrum, you really know about it afterwards. My respect for those guys (and their ears) is through the roof. The best pair of ears I’ve seen are Hoops’ (Bath captain Stuart Hooper’s) so far — they’re a cracking set of cauliflowers! Burgess has plenty of new-found respect for the Bath forwards including skipper Stuart Hooper (above) People have been very interested in what position I’m playing, but to me there isn’t a big difference. At 12, I stand a bit wider in defence and at No.6 I have to push in the scrums and sometimes I have to go in the lineout. That’s about it in my mind right now. Another thing people are focusing on a lot is when — or if — England might pick me. I’ve not heard anything from Stuart Lancaster with regards to selection. Andy Farrell, who was a great idol of mine growing up, has given me a call to see how I’m getting on. I’m sure the coaches will have their eyes on a lot of players at the moment, so I’m just going to do as much as I can to be in contention. I came here to chase a challenge, and it’s delivering. England assistant coach Andy Farrell  (above) has been in touch with Burgess to monitor his progress . Sam Burgess is a Canterbury ambassador for rugby & training products. Sam is the face of the new Since 1904 fashion range to be launched by Canterbury in February. For more information visit www.canterbury.com .
Sam Burgess made his union debut for Bath in November .
Burgess admits he is finding the transition from rugby league difficult .
He admits that union is more of a 'mental and tactical game'
Burgess is slowly getting used to the intricacies of the ruck .
But he is still confused by the line-out .
The former Rabbitohs player has alternated between centre and backrow .
I knew moving to rugby union would take me out of my comfort zone and that is definitely what has happened in the past couple of months, but I’m still more determined than ever to make it work. Even though I’m a player from league trying to learn a new sport, there has been a lot of hype around me and I’m expected to do something special every time I play, which is quite hard when I’m still working out the basics. I was under massive scrutiny when I was in the NRL in Australia, but that was different because I was established and knew the game. Since I’ve joined Bath, I know everything I do is being watched and dissected, which is no surprise to me given the build-up to my arrival and the way my season finished in Australia. Sam Burgess has relished his time with Bath thus far but knows he has plenty of learning ahead of him . Burgess played outside centre in his side's recent 17-8 loss to Leicester at Welford Road . Burgess admits the transition from playing rugby league in Australia (above) to union has been tough . When I’m on the field, those thoughts never enter my mind, but sometimes it’s hard to miss what people are saying post-match on social media and even just when I’m grabbing a brew at a cafe in Bath. The key is to not let all the chat affect my confidence in learning a new game which, quite frankly at the moment, I’m a novice at! I’ve been totally honest about my transition by admitting I’m finding it even harder than I expected. There’s no point me saying that it’s easy because it definitely isn’t. I understand now even more than I did before just how much work it’s going to take to be successful. I just need more time out on the field, in matches. It’s been useful to see the game as a back and as a forward. I’ve been playing at centre for the first team but I’ve also had a couple of run-outs for the ‘A’ team as a flanker and that has been helpful. It’s been like a very intense practice session really — out of the spotlight, with not as many people watching those games, so I can make mistakes and get away with them a bit more! Burgess is still learning his trade, especially in defence, after crossing codes from rugby league . There were a few thousand people at our home game, including a few boys from the squad who sat up in a box eating curry! At Exeter there was a crowd of 5-6,000, which was a great turn-out. But of course it was a bit of a change in occasion, after being in an unbelievable competition in the NRL and finishing with a Grand Final win in Sydney. I had to see the games in a different way; as a learning process to help me develop my skills. In my first ‘A’ game, there was a guy from London Irish who gave me a bit of stick. We were in a ruck and he was giving it to me, saying, “You don’t know what you’re doing”. He was probably right, so I just said, “Maybe not, but I know how to tackle, so run at me and we’ll see how it goes!” It was good banter. Burgess admits to struggling with certain technical aspects with the lineout (above) proving a big challenge . Meditation became a valuable tool for me when I was playing rugby league in Australia and it’s a technique I’ll carry on using for the rest of my career. I was quite sceptical when we first started meditating at South Sydney, but I began to connect with the people who were doing the sessions so I bought into it. It was all about opening up our minds and talking to each other a bit more, and also about clearing your own mind in terms of being calm and ready to perform. We used techniques to bring ourselves back down to a calm level if we found ourselves getting frustrated or lost confidence during a game. Since joining Bath, I’ve been having sessions with Don Macpherson, who works with F1 drivers and other sportsmen, and lives two minutes away from me. I find it really helpful. It helps me stay calm, keeps my blood pressure down and keeps my mind focused. It’s even helped me to go easier on refs when decisions go against me! I truly believe that meditation was a big part of our success at Souths. Just before the biggest games of the year, the guys would be laughing and joking, but then everyone would switch on and be in the right mental state to play. As I see it, the brain is a muscle and I’ve got to train it like I train other muscles. At Bath, it’s been helping me to visualise the game and accelerate my learning. You train your brain with little triggers so when you get into certain match situations, your mind subconsciously knows how to react. It is really useful for me during this transition phase. I had mentally prepared myself for the fact that there would be a change in the number of plays I would be involved in during games, but it’s still been tough to get used to. The amount of distance covered is similar to what I was doing in league, but in union there is lot more kick-chasing, running off the ball and getting back into position. Last weekend at Leicester, I think I touched the ball once in the first 40 minutes, so I had to keep my hands warm! People who follow and play league don’t quite understand it. My mates have been taking the p*** out of me about it. They were having a laugh because it showed on TV that I’d made 15 metres, or something like that. If you did that in league, it would be embarrassing. It’s just different; I’m finding there are less opportunities in union and you don’t have as much space to play with between the lines of defence. Union is more of a mental, tactical game and I’m enjoying the strategic side of it. I like to describe it as a game of chess (to all my mates in league reading this!). I’ve found the rucks hard to get used to, but I’m starting to learn all the sneaky little tactics. I remember my first ruck against Quins; I carried the ball, ended up on the floor on my side and the next thing I knew I was being kneed in the forehead by my own team-mate cleaning the ruck. I felt like road-kill! It’s such a different experience to being tackled in league, but a fun one. I’ve found the scrums hard too. I couldn’t be a prop — there’s so much pressure on their bodies in there. When you get a seven or eight-second scrum, you really know about it afterwards. My respect for those guys (and their ears) is through the roof. The best pair of ears I’ve seen are Hoops’ (Bath captain Stuart Hooper’s) so far — they’re a cracking set of cauliflowers! Burgess has plenty of new-found respect for the Bath forwards including skipper Stuart Hooper (above) People have been very interested in what position I’m playing, but to me there isn’t a big difference. At 12, I stand a bit wider in defence and at No.6 I have to push in the scrums and sometimes I have to go in the lineout. That’s about it in my mind right now. Another thing people are focusing on a lot is when — or if — England might pick me. I’ve not heard anything from Stuart Lancaster with regards to selection. Andy Farrell, who was a great idol of mine growing up, has given me a call to see how I’m getting on. I’m sure the coaches will have their eyes on a lot of players at the moment, so I’m just going to do as much as I can to be in contention. I came here to chase a challenge, and it’s delivering. England assistant coach Andy Farrell  (above) has been in touch with Burgess to monitor his progress . Sam Burgess is a Canterbury ambassador for rugby & training products. Sam is the face of the new Since 1904 fashion range to be launched by Canterbury in February. For more information visit www.canterbury.com .
transition from playing rugby league in Australia used to. The amount of distance covered is Union is more of a mental, tactical game and I’m has plenty of new-found respect for the Bath to monitor his progress . Sam Burgess is a