They may have taken some time to emerge from the burrow but the Rabbitohs made good on their Easter delivery as South Sydney's much-vaunted pack finally walked the walk in a 38-16 NRL thumping of Canterbury at ANZ Stadium on Monday night.

Inspired by a dominant display from English import Sam Burgess, who scored a first half double as mother Julie watched on from owner Russell Crowe's private box, the Rabbitohs ambushed the Bulldogs with a first-half onslaught from which the visitors never recovered in front of a healthy 30,120 crowd.

After several listless displays to start the year, the seven tries to three romp was just what the Rabbitohs faithful needed to restore a belief that had been heightened by off-season acquisitions of Burgess and David Taylor.

Burgess' double was part of a five-try avalanche in an opening stanza - which started with a Bulldogs try in just the second minute - as the Rabbitohs pack matched the hype by rumbling over a Bulldogs defence that had no answer to the relentless assault.

When Burgess wasn't making inroads it was skipper Roy Asotasi bulldozing his way forward, while lesser lights Scott Geddes and Luke Stuart continued the barrage in attack and defence.

One who could attest to that was Bulldogs forward Jarrod Hickey, who lasted just five minutes before being taken to hospital for observation following a heavy tackle which left him with a suspected chest injury.

Halves Chris Sandow and John Sutton thrived on the platform - the pair combining from a scrum win to put Beau Champion over in the fourth minute before a Sutton bomb eventually ended up in Sandow's arms for a 12-6 lead after seven extraordinary minutes.

The Bulldogs had three straight sets camped on the Bunnies' line but failed to make it across, an Issac Luke bust from inside his own half then leaving the visitors backpedalling as winger Nathan Merrit crossing on the next play in the opposite corner.

Burgess - in his best performance in the NRL - bagged his double with short-range runs before the break, the result put beyond doubt in the 57th minute when Luke scored next to the posts.

The Bulldogs restored some respectability with a pair of second half tries before Champion singled the start of the celebrations with his second right on fulltime.

Souths coach John Lang admitted the Bunnies were finally living up to their potential.

"It showed the boys what they are capable of," Lang said.

"It's hard to have belief if you haven't actually done it.

"To go out and play like that against the Bulldogs, that will give us a lot of confidence."

Burgess denied he deserved credit for the win, but admitted he was starting to feel more comfortable after his first month in the NRL.

"I probably didn't get into my stride straight away but as a team we're improving and I'm pretty sure I'm going to improve as well as a player," Burgess said.

"I try to ignore (the expectation) and just enjoy it.

"Forwards don't win games individually - I'm not a match-winner.

"Jarryd Hayne and players like that, they're the ones that win matches on their own ... I just try to do my thing for the team."

Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore said with Hickey - who suffered a bruised lung which saw him cough up blood - joining an already large front-row casualty ward, other players couldn't afford to have quiet games.

"We got dominated - simple as that," Moore said.

"Until we get a couple of those guys back we're going to have to have 17 blokes every time we turn up playing to the best of their ability."

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