Burgess: Bennett can be the difference

Sam Burgess believes Wayne Bennett can be the difference for England but says it is the players that have to do it on the field.

Bennett has had two wins and a loss since his appointment as England coach.

England must topple Australia this weekend, which they haven’t done for two decades, to stay alive in the Four Nations.

“I certainly think Wayne can be the difference,” Burgess told The Guardian.

“But he can only take us to the water. We need to drink from the trough.

“He can show us how to do things and make the difference between winning and losing but essentially we have to do it on the field.

“We’ve been asking a lot of them in training and I’m proud to say the boys are meeting the high standards Wayne demands.”

Burgess admits Australia are a formidable opponent but said England deserve respect as well.

“We need to talk more about what we’re going to bring to the table rather than building them up to this heroic stature,” he said.

“Of course they’re a great team. They deserve every bit of respect and praise. But my team deserves respect too.

“We believe we can match them on the big stage.”