Folau pick of the NRL bunch for Cup talent

Israel Folau. Photo / Getty Images

Israel Folau, Sonny Bill Williams and Sam Burgess are three high-profile NRL players on the cusp of setting out their Rugby World Cup claims.

Folau and Burgess have been confirmed in the Wallaby and England squads and we'll discover tomorrow night if SBW makes the All Black cut.

His form has been modest this season and he's battling to see his way past a knee problem. Ryan Crotty's no-nonsense, high workrate rugby instincts would be my preferred back-up to Ma'a Nonu but SBW will get picked tomorrow unless something dramatic happens in the interval.

Of the trio of big-name converts, Folau has been the business by some distance.

He won the John Eales Medal this week for the second successive year after switching to play rugby in 2013 and being thrust into the Wallaby test side against the touring Lions.

Folau has such talent, as evidenced by his NRL, AFL and now rugby performances, that he was able to produce some outstanding individual performances on the wing and cope with the game at the top level. It was no more at that stage.

Playing fullback where he is so dynamic took a lot more time to nail down.

There were all the nuances of the game which were second nature to most of the blokes he played with while Folau had to cram his knowledge into a compressed timeframe.

He creates such an extra dimension of damage for the Wallabies from the back where his speed, anticipation and vision get him to places to create huge problems with the ball or as a decoy.

Anyone who has seen his sustained work on the tackle or under the high ball knows what an asset he is for the Wallabies.

Burgess has played rugby for less than a year, is used as a loose forward by his Bath club and has pushed his way into England's RWC squad as a midfield back.

It is a massive result from a formidable athlete but it underlines a few of England's issues rather than promoting his value.

Burgess still has his L-plates on and asking him to fill midfield duties against one of the major nations would be a massive task.

Even SBW looks to be battling in his second tilt at rugby; the game has not been flowing for him and he's had more experience than Burgess in the midfield turmoil in rugby. Confidence and game time are big parts of SBW's make-up but his injury has impacted on both.

As we rub the RWC crystal ball, it's easy to make out the impact Folau will have on the tournament but there's a definite blur about the others.