England forward Sam Burgess has said that he is looking forward to locking horns with New Zealand's Sonny Bill Williams in Saturday's Rugby League World Cup semi-final at Wembley.

The 24-year-old South Sydney player said that he has a lot of respect for the Kiwi, who plies his trade for rival NRL club Sydney Roosters.

"Sonny's a great player," PA quotes the former Bradford Bulls star as saying. "He's great for the game, great for the World Cup and it will be tough to control him but we'll look forward to that challenge.

"He's a very nice, humble guy and an impressive human being. He's very respectful and a great athlete. I've certainly got a lot of respect for Sonny.

"Once you get on the field, though, it's a competitive game and I guess we'll both get stuck in. You always enjoy playing against the best players. I'm not just looking forward playing against Sonny, I'm looking forward to going up against a great Kiwi side."

Second-rower Ben Westwood has also said that he is relishing the task of coming up against Williams.