Sam Burgess returns to South Sydney

[Rabbits20]

Anyone would think you're mad to see him back.

That's right.

 

[BranVan3000]

What media exactlu?

Telegraph? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/sam-burgess/11967950/Sam-Burgess-was-Englands-scapegoat-but-he-must-fight-to-prove-himself.html

"And let?s get this straight: Burgess was not to blame for England?s early exit from the Rugby World Cup."


The Mail?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-3298538/Sam-Burgess-pawn-game-never-stood-chance-betrayal-league-convert-hide-rugby-union-s-failings.html

"Really? The truth, of course, is that Burgess was the man who was let down."

The Independent?

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/international/sam-burgess-league-convert-to-take-a-break-from-rugby-as-he-considers-his-future-a6712791.html

"Inexplicably, however, the England head coach, Stuart Lancaster, ignored all available evidence and selected Burgess for the World Cup squad as a centre."

Mirror?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/matt-dawson-column-sam-burgess-6777077


"I feel sorry for Burgess and steaming with anger at whoever thought it would be a good idea to persuade him he could be a World Cup-standard centre eight months after switching over from rugby league."

The examples held up as "ex players" in England wanting him to fail were Matt Dawson above and Will Carling. What they both said was;



What exactly is unfair about that?

Both Dawson and Carling are rugby league fans but apparently they are the "Union Establishment" who wanted the league lad to fail:?

We all know much is said outside of published articles

 

[BODISGOD]

We all know much is said outside of published articles

Okay, now it's some mythical comments outside of articles.:sarcasm::lol:

English rugby union was delighted when Jason Robinson came into the fold after not too long in rugby union. Why? Because he was a back three player and was ripping it up for Sale Sharks. There were queries over Burgess because he was playing out of position and had shown absolutely nothing to justify selection in that position. It is actually ludicrous he was picked there. As the union players who criticised the selection pointed out, it is not a criticism of Sam Burgess or rugby league, it is a criticism of the England coaches, RFU and wider English rugby union's problems right now.

It's complete fantasy, made up by people who just want to have a chip on their shoulder, that there was an agenda for him to fail. But then again, if Burgess had gone over and been successful in an England side that went well we'd be hearing out rugby union desperately needed a rugby league player. Both ways, the zealots can't lose.:roll: This was never a league v union thing, it was about individual persons.

It suits Burgess down to the ground to back the Agenda thing now. I don't see why personally he would have bothered to stick in rugby union to learn a new position when he was a star elsewhere. He came for the limelight of a home rugby world cup. Naive on Mike Ford's part and a bit selfish on Burgess to mislead him, but entirely logical. Convenient excuses in the media are perfect for him.

 

[Liddell]

In his 3 WC games, they flogged Fiji, were leading Wales until he came off and lost to Australia in a game where he came off the bench (where they were only down by 7 until one of his teamates was binned).

The guy was nowhere near ready for a world cup but has nothing to do with how shit they are as a side.

 

[GongPanther]

Sam Burgess lacked stomach for Bath fight - Mike Ford

Mike Ford saw Sam Burgess as a back-row forward in rugby union despite him playing at centre for EnglandSam Burgess "didn't have the stomach" to fight for his future in rugby union, says Bath head coach Mike Ford.
Cross-code convert Burgess left Bath after only one year of a three-year deal to re-join Australian rugby league side South Sydney Rabbitohs last week.
Burgess, 26, said his "heart wasn't in" rugby union.
Sam Burgess: 'I was always a league player in union'"For me this was the time to roll his sleeves up and become the player that I thought he could be and he chose not to," said Ford.
"It wasn't until the final talk I had with him that I felt there was nothing more I could do.
"But I did speak to him about that and about what a fantastic player he could be, and about the investment the club and the players had made in him, and that it was time to repay that.
"But he chose differently."
I miss my mum - Burgess

Told about Ford's comments at a Rabbitohs news conference after his arrival in Sydney on Tuesday, Burgess said: "Mike might be a bit upset and that's fine.
"What did he say? That I missed my mum? Who doesn't miss their mum? I'm not afraid to say that.
"Fordy is entitled to what he wants to say. It is more a reflection on him than me."
The former Bradford Bulls player insisted he would be at South Sydney "for a long time now".
He added: "It was never in question really about looking elsewhere at any of the clubs. I would find it very hard to put a different shirt on."
'A lot of lads would die for this club'

Burgess revealed that Bath captain Stuart Hooper prevented the former England centre from addressing the squad after opting to leave - a decision Ford defended.
Bath and England fly-half George Ford - the head coach's son - said the team did not not want an added distraction before last weekend's Premiership game against London Irish, which they won 45-14.
"A lot of lads would die for this club," George Ford told BBC Points West.
"A lot of lads have been here since they were young, coming up through the academy, and have served this club for as long as they can and for someone to come in and not maybe do the same thing upset a few lads.
"It was a great decision by Stuart as we wanted to focus our energy into putting in a good performance against London Irish."
George Ford said Burgess's decision had upset his Bath team-matesRapid replacement

Bath moved quickly to replace Burgess, who played at flanker for the club and inside centre for England, by signing Scotland back-rower David Denton from Edinburgh.
Head coach Ford said it was a "fair" assessment to say Denton's arrival left Bath in a stronger position.
"Everyone's seen Sam's interview and his heart's not in it any more, so when someone's like that you're better off having someone in who wants to be here," he added.
"I wasn't surprised with what Sam said because he's talked to me along the way."


http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/34783108


This Ford fellow obviously hasn't watched much,or any NRL.


You need heart to play our code.But anyhoo,Ford is only trying to save face.


Its good to have the ole pommy fella back.

 

[Usain Bolt]

Another Burgess thread, just what we needed.

 

[TheDalek079]

SBW > Burgess

 

[Rabbits20]

Good on ya Sam!!!

Back where he belongs.

Mike Ford is an idiot!!!!

 

[Bazal]

Lol. Pretty clear Ford is right. Burgess didn't have the desire to prove himself. He could have probably been a decent rugby player, but he chose the easy out. Nothing wrong with that either, he tried something and failed.

 

[muzby]

 

[Different kind of Rabbit]

Lol. Pretty clear Ford is right. Burgess didn't have the desire to prove himself. He could have probably been a decent rugby player, but he chose the easy out. Nothing wrong with that either, he tried something and failed.

Baz, the easy out for him would have been to sit at Bath playing firsts each week and only touching the ball 3 times a game. He could have done that for the next two years and continued to collect a massive salary.

Probably still would have been picked for England for the next two years as well.

 

[Usain Bolt]

SBW > Burgess

 

[Liddell]

Cheers mate, we all missed that funny meme the first 3 times you posted it

 

[Rabbits20]

Baz, the easy out for him would have been to sit at Bath playing firsts each week and only touching the ball 3 times a game. He could have done that for the next two years and continued to collect a massive salary.

Probably still would have been picked for England for the next two years as well.

Spot on.

 

[canberra_raiders2k2]

Cheers mate, we all missed that funny meme the first 3 times you posted it

Haha.

It was clearly worth the extra posting.

 

[English Rose]

Ford is a bit of a c**k. He waited until Burgess was on a plane to the other side of the world before he came out with this. To say a man who played 80 mins in a grand final with a broken jaw and eye socket and used to carry is dying father to bed in his teens lacks guts is laughable!

 

[Rabbits20]

Ford is a bit of a c**k. He waited until Burgess was on a plane to the other side of the world before he came out with this. To say a man who played 80 mins in a grand final with a broken jaw and eye socket and used to carry is dying father to bed in his teens lacks guts is laughable!

That's right mate. You speak very good sense.

Yet some imbossiles on LU reckon Ford was right in what he said:crazy:

 

[BODISGOD]

Ford is a bit of a c**k. He waited until Burgess was on a plane to the other side of the world before he came out with this. To say a man who played 80 mins in a grand final with a broken jaw and eye socket and used to carry is dying father to bed in his teens lacks guts is laughable!

Urm you realise the reason why he is so angry is that he feels as though Burgess mucked him about. Ford was clear from the start, he saw Burgess as a back row forward. Ford went out of his way several times to defend Burgess. He went and put a huge amount of investment in him. He was told by Burgess he was committed to Bath & Ford.

Out of everyone Ford is the collateral damage. England's coaches and Burgess caused this situation. I think Ford was naive to think that Burgess genuinely wanted to come over to a sport and learn it fresh, it was clear he was in England to play under the bright lights of a world cup, but his anger is entirely justified.

 

[canberra_raiders2k2]

That's right mate. You speak very good sense.

Yet some imbossiles on LU reckon Ford was right in what he said:crazy:

The funny part is the obvious mistake. It isn't the first time you made that one either. It killed your previous points as well.

http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/showthread.php?p=10932757

http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/showthread.php?p=11160738

Just use a different word next time.

 

[muzby]

a man who played 80 mins in a grand final with a broken jaw and eye socket

and let's not forget how burgess had to play the whole second half literally on only one leg after they amputated his left foot at halftime..