Gordon D’Arcy: Sam Burgess not ready for England

Sam Burgess is substituted during England’s loss to Wales.

Among the moments of the calamitous defeat by Wales scrutinised by D’Arcy is the defensive mix-up that cleared a path through the midfield for Scott Williams shortly before half-time.

“I thought Sam handled himself really well [against Wales] and played a few good footy”, Williams said.

But he says the ultimate responsibility for the loss is down to coach Stuart Lancaster, for failing to tell his players to kick for the penalty that would have secured them a draw and denied the Welsh a win.

Williams, who previously switched from league to union in time for the All Blacks 2011 World Cup winning side, was Wednesday named to start at inside centre for the All Blacks in Friday’s match against Georgia at Millennium Stadium.

“It’s simply not possible for him to be ready”, the soon-to-be retired 35-year-old wrote in his latest column for the Irish Times after recalling that it took him approximately three years to become properly acclimatised to playing at centre.

One New Zealand paper has really put the boot into both Irish rugby and Gordon D’Arcy following the international’s recent controversial comments regarding Sam Burgess. “His naivety embarrassed those around him and severely damaged England’s chances of reaching the quarter-finals”.

“He clearly bust a gut but effort and strength were never going to be enough”.

“By then the Burgess experiment had been abandoned because the England coaching team accepted, long after everyone else, that he had no idea what was happening”. Barritt was arguably worse and badly exposed for the Gareth Davies try. Ma’a Nonu is absolutely phenomenal.

“When Burgess played in the NRL he was so effective because everything was pre-ordained”.

He was one of many Wales players injured in the second half of the game, with Liam Williams ruled out of Friday’s match against Fiji with concussion alongside wing Hallam Amos who dislocated his shoulder.

But D’Arcy felt Australia had their own problems with enigmatic first-five Quade Cooper.

D’Arcy – who won 82 caps for Ireland as part of a famed centre partnership with Brian O’Driscoll – takes a different view, however, as England continue to come under attack ahead of their do-or-die clash with Australia on Saturday.