It's a thankless job filling in for a superstar - just ask Wallabies halfback Luke Burgess.

Will Genia's instant success in the Test ranks has seen Burgess' stocks quickly plummet, with an array of critics bashing him into the ground just for good measure.

His passing is too slow, he doesn't get the ball out of the breakdown quick enough, his snipes aren't as damaging as Genia's, the critics claim.

Former Wallaby Greg Martin ripped Burgess to shreds after Australia's 49-3 win over Fiji in Canberra last week, while Mark Ella even claimed the Waratah was "not a Test-standard halfback".

But against England in Perth on Saturday night, Burgess hit back.

Actions definitely speak louder than words.

With Genia watching on from the bench after recovering from a knee injury, Burgess was mesmerising in the first half, unleashing a series of snipes that left England's defence scrambling time and again.

His move in the 31st minute, which gifted Quade Cooper a try, was a pleasure to watch.

After extracting the ball from the breakdown and leaving English centre Shontayne Hape for dead, Burgess spun away from a potential tackler to dish off a neat pass that allowed Cooper to stroll over untouched.

Burgess, Cooper, Drew Mitchell and James O'Connor were influential in lifting Australia to a 14-0 halftime lead.

England hit back after the break with two penalty tries as the Wallabies' scrum capitulated but Burgess kept his head high throughout the match, playing out the full 80 minutes.

In the end it was 27-17 to Australia.

And while there's no doubt Genia is clearly Australia's No.1 scrumhalf - and by a country mile, mind you - it's comforting to know a bloke called Burgess is ready to fill the void when needed.

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