England second row Dave Attwood has been impressed with new recruit Sam Burgess, saying the former rugby league man, who makes his first start tonight in the midfield as Bath take on Montpellier, has been soaking up everything about the game – and not just areas that relate to his role.

“He was perched on the scrum machine at training on Monday, watching the forwards at work,” Attwood told The Telegraph. “I’m sure the day will come when I can bore him to death with my line-out chat.

“Sam is like a sponge at the moment. If he’s not involved in a training drill, he’ll be at the side of the pitch alongside George [Ford] or Kyle [Eastmond], asking questions, forever eager to learn. He’s driven but also down to earth. He wants to succeed but knows that it will take a lot of hard work.”

And there is one, perhaps unlikely, area of the game that Burgess is particularly keen to conquer, as he outlined to Attwood on the bus back to the hotel after last weekend’s mudbath of a win over Montpellier.

“He can’t wait for the day until he wins a turnover at a breakdown,” Attwood chuckled. “He was speaking about it on the coach. Just shows how keen he is to get to grips with all the important aspects. No detail is too small for him.”

It’s a somewhat surprising statement from a man who is used to the no-nonsense carry and tackle game of rugby league, but proves the down-to-earth nature of Burgess. He is not just keen to do the headline-grabbing stuff, but will muck in with the rest of the team to do some of that fabled ‘unseen work’.

Despite head coach Mike Ford’s assertion that Burgess will settle in the back-row – and his keen attitude towards the breakdown would seem to back that up – it is the 12 shirt that he takes this weekend. He replaces Kyle Eastmond, who is given a rest after playing a lot of rugby over the past few months.

He lines up outside George Ford, who will relish having such a weapon outside him. Ford is a true gainline threat himself, albeit in a completely different way, and if he can keep defences honest with his darting runs then gaps and weak shoulders should begin to appear for Burgess. He won’t need a second opportunity to exploit them.

Outside him is Jonathan Joseph, scorer of six tries already this season and a man who had struck up a fine partnership with Eastmond. He will have to play a different game outside Burgess, but he has the pace and sidestep to be a welcome recipient if Burgess can get his offload game going.

As enticing as the 10, 12, 13 combination looks, it is a bold call from the Bath coaching staff to throw Burgess into such an important game for the club. After losses in their first two pool games, and the failure to pick up a bonus point despite a commanding win last weekend, they need five points here if they are to have any designs on qualifying.

Rarely, if ever, has as much excitement surrounded a player’s full debut. After a cumulative total of a little over a half of rugby, Sam Burgess is being thrown in at the deep end. By all accounts, though, it sounds like he’s ready.

By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images