Starting role for Sam Burgess speaks volumes of faith shown by Bath

Two significant decisions were made about Sam Burgess this week: on Wednesday
he was selected in England’s 50-man World Cup training squad and yesterday
he was picked to start at blind-side flanker for Bath in their Aviva
Premiership semi-final against Leicester Tigers this evening.



The England call-up had been on the cards since he switched codes in November
last year.

Stuart Lancaster, the head coach, believed that Burgess could
make a valuable contribution to the squad’s World Cup preparations, even if
his rugby union education was not far enough advanced for him to be selected …