“We can definitely keep getting better” – Tom Burgess demands more from England ahead of semi-final clash
England star Tom Burgess has urged for more from his England team-mates ahead of their semi-final clash with Samoa in the World Cup.
Burgess, 30, is appearing in his third World Cup and is one of the six current players that featured in the 6-0 loss to Australia at the 2017 tournament Down Under.
With confidence growing in the England camp according to the South Sydney Rabbitohs prop, he also believes the side have parts of their game to improve on from their 46-6 quarter-final victory over Papua New Guinea.
Samoa will have the chance to avenge their 60-6 thrashing in the opening game of the tournament when the two sides meet at Emirates Stadium this Saturday in the semi-finals.
Tom Burgess: We can definitely always get better
“I’ve always got confidence in England,” he said. “Every time I pull on this jersey, I’m very proud and confident in our ability.
“Definitely this year feels good and for myself I’m feeling really good too. Five years on, I’m a more mature player and hopefully I can be a bit of a leader for this England team.
“We can definitely keep getting better. There were a few times where we did silly things, shooting out of the line, we made a few errors, we can definitely always get better.”
Burgess scored a four-pointer in the victory over Papua New Guinea at the DW Stadium, while Tommy Makinson crossed for a record five tries.
“It’s always nice to get over for a try but it was a case of sticking to your job as a front rower,” Burgess said following the PNG win.
“You run hard and try to get metres forward and get that momentum. I thought we did that and, on the other side, I thought we defended really well and got into their faces.
“In those first few sets I don’t think they got out of their half so that was a big part of why the start was so good.”
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