Waratahs halfback Luke Burgess is unconventional ... but he's effective. Rupert Guinness reports from Christchurch.

Anyone who knows Luke Burgess will tell you of the strange things he gets up to. The search for the Waratahs halfback for a prearranged interview at Sydney Airport before they flew out on Wednesday to Christchurch quickly leads to some interesting and unexpected insight into his idiosyncrasies.

One Waratahs squad member says Burgess has "talked his way into the Air New Zealand lounge". Another says he is in the bathroom "and will sit there until the flight is called". Then another reminds you of how, before flying to Brisbane to play the Reds in round 14, Burgess went through the security with his bag and settled down at a coffee shop near the flight gate to wait for a boarding call without realising he hadn't even checked in.

Then there is a sighting of Burgess with Waratahs captain Phil Waugh, checking out sunglasses - perhaps for that "new look" when his career takes its next sudden step up in stardom on Monday after being named in Robbie Deans's first Wallabies squad?

You wonder where all these stories come from when suddenly Burgess appears from the bathroom, ringing his washed hands. So much for the scuttlebutt of teammates.

Admirably, Burgess, 24, embraces all the humour at his expense. He says knowing how to take a good ribbing is a strength that his father and mother - Rowan and Cathy - taught him and his brother Michael, 26 and two sisters, Claire, 21, and Stephanie, 18, years ago.

Asked about the family ethos at the Burgess household in Maitland, he smiles and then spills the beans, saying: "[to] give each other shit … stop taking yourself so seriously. We all love each other. We also think it is important you can take a joke, be friendly. Mum and Dad taught us not to be so full of yourself. I don't mind being the butt of jokes."

Still, don't be fooled into thinking that life for Burgess is all about fun and games. When it comes to playing rugby his mind is constantly thinking of ways to improve. And since his starting debut for the Waratahs in round eight at home against the Blues, he confesses that absorbing, using and compartmentalising all the information and experience each week has been hard, even if his seemingly effortless on-field magic indicates otherwise.

"Each week I have needed to refocus and switch on to the game and leave my previous performance behind. That has been difficult," Burgess says. "I have spent a lot of energy contemplating where I am at, what I need to do this week like taking care of my body, doing rehab on past injuries, doing analysis on the team, working out with the leadership what they want from me. Then I have to have time for my own relaxation. It has been really busy."

However, there is some good about the clutter in his mind. It allows little space for him to think too deeply about the enormity of tonight's final and too far ahead and about his likely Wallabies selection.

"I definitely have not been thinking about the occasion, just on what I need to do. I have been doing that for the past six or so weeks," Burgess says. "I haven't done much different. I have still been doing my extra passing, kicking, stretching and rehab."

Burgess welcomed the telephone call he received on Monday night from 1984 Wallabies grand slam coach Alan Jones. "He reinforced what he has been saying to me the last couple of months - to relax and enjoy yourself and be natural when you play," Burgess says.

At the Brumbies, the team he joined in 2005 to earn two Super caps as George Gregan's understudy before linking with NSW this year, he took note of the Wallabies stalwart's work ethic. "His work off the field, his preparation was incredible," Burgess says of his 136-Test mentor. "His body was his first priority. That's logical because you need your body to be able to play. He was always in top condition. That is something I definitely strive to be."

Since becoming a Waratah, Burgess has worked with sports psychologist Clark Perry about handling "thoughts that distract you", learning that it is best to "acknowledge them and then move on". And those thoughts do arise. "Occasionally, I think it would be nice to be in the Wallabies," Burgess says. "But then I think, 'Who are you kidding, you haven't done anything yet. The season is not yet over. You still have a job to do'."

There is also Burgess's curiosity in Buddhism, even if he doesn't practise it. He is still only halfway through The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche that looks at the religion. He was raised a Catholic but admits "I haven't been to church for a while". While Burgess denies he is a spiritual person, he says "like everyone, I am looking for an answer, or a few answers to things. Just getting a different perspective is always helpful".

A major source of inspiration for Burgess is tennis kingpin, Roger Federer.

"I love watching him. His sublime skills are just magic," Burgess says. "Seeing the way he focuses … he lets himself be in the zone. That is what I like to try to do. He lets himself play his shots, no pressure, very relaxed, just whipping forehands.

"It's like he has freed himself of any inhibitions. Often he just rips it, or produces a stunning backhand down the line. It is out of this world. That is what I would like to get to … it is where I have to get to."

Suffice to say, Burgess appears to be on course.