Since moving to club side Bath after winning the Clive Churchill Medal in the Bunnies’ Grand Final win over the Bulldogs, Burgess has made two appearances off the bench and one start, all at inside-centre.
Bath won all three games, but Burgess remains surprised at the differences between the two codes.
“Certainly it's harder than I thought, but it's a game I've never played before,” he told English media after Bath’s win over Montpellier in the European Champions Cup on the weekend.
“I thought they would be very similar in a lot of ways but they are actually not. I've got mixed feelings. There are things I can improve on but I'm happy with some aspects of the game.
“To get a full 80 was good. I'm looking forward to reviewing the game and seeing where I can improve.”
Burgess has had some highlights in his three union outings, including setting-up a try against Montpellier, but he’s still adapting to the defensive subtleties of the 15-man code.
“Without wishing to sound disrespectful to anyone, the game’s a lot harder than I thought,” he said on British television.
“It’s harder than it looks.
“(Tackling) is definitely something I have to change. It’s very hard to change a habit you’ve had for 12 to 15 years.
“You get taught to tackle completely differently to how you get taught here. I am trying to change that.
“I think I made a few erratic tackles last week. Sitting on the bench for 60 minutes, I had too much energy. It’s probably a bit of excitement more than anything, in time I will settle in and do the technical tackle.”
Burgess played 95 games for the Rabbitohs before defecting to union after the 2014 NRL Grand Final and has one season in English club rugby to prove to England coaches he’s ready to play in the Rugby World Cup next year.