Not content to shine among the All Stars and have Gorden Tallis rate him potentially the best Englishman to play in Australia, South Sydney recruit Sam Burgess has started quoting Oscar Wilde.

The Rabbitohs' UK sensation pulled out a rare league-meets-literature moment after Saturday night's 26-26 Charity Shield draw with St George Illawarra.

Burgess was asked about Tallis's comment that he will "probably be the best Pommie forward to come out here".

"Cheers Gorden, not much pressure on me now lad," he replied. "Very inspiring to hear him say that."

But the former Bradford forward then called on Irish playwright Wilde's famous wit and wisdom.

"I've got a quote, been told a quote from Oscar Wilde, and it were 'You know what you can do yourself, no matter what people say negative or positive, you know your own abilities' and I try and work by that," Burgess said.

"I try not to carried away by what people say about me. I know what I'm capable of and ... I've just got to get out there and play to my strengths and play with the team.

"I know what I can do and I know what I can't do so I've just got to do that each week and hopefully grow with my own performances."

It might not have been word-for-word, but it appears Burgess was referring to Wilde's "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken".

Burgess said he wasn't necessarily a big reader.

"I like to get into the old coach's sayings and autobiographies and all that sort of stuff because I'm not too much of a reader," he said.

"I like that sort of motivational stuff."

The England international said he was still yet to produce his best football in Australia.

"I just need to get more games under my belt and more time with the boys, more training time as a team and more games like that, then hopefully straight away I can start playing some of my best football, that's what I'm aiming to do anyway," he said.

"I really enjoyed tonight but I probably didn't quite get into my second gear, didn't quite get into the groove as much as I'd like to."

Burgess also got to renew his acquaintance with English referee Ashley Klein, who made a point of helping him adjust to the NRL.

"He told me to stand a bit closer at second marker and then he said 'Is it a bit different to Odsal' which is my home ground in England, Bradford's ground," he said.

"It was just good experience, an unbelievable stadium (at ANZ)."

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