I think both Ford and Farrell are wetting themselves right now. I think they were both very much involved in getting Burgess into Union and into the England squad. This has cost Bath and the RFU a lot of money and it's turning into a very public disaster.
Both Ford and Farrell's England jobs are very much in doubt now and of course if the move ends up leaving Bath very much out of pocket then his job there could be in doubt.

In the same way as Hetherington is using the public media to try and push a deal one way, Ford is doing just the same to try and cover himself.

Surely Burgess can't stay after this length of deliberation? everything he does wrong now will be scrutinised even more than before and his commitment to the game and the club will constantly be in question.

It's a bit like when Offiah decided he wasn't going to play for Widnes anymore. At that point it was pointless in Widnes doing anything than trying to get the highest transfer fee possible from Wigan.

I very much doubt Ford's job is in any doubt at all, he has a good record and is very well thought of and none of this negative stuff is anything to do with him. He has consistently backed and rated Burgess very highly and correctly has played him since January as a 6. He must be almost as devastated as Sam with some of the almost slanderous comment reported in the media. However I would guess messrs Lancaster, Farrell, Roundtree, & Catt are all dead meat

All this in an odd way has been positive for League and very negative for Union as the media has now swung around against the Burgess critics with more and more comment regarding England's real woes and positive stuff about Sam's England performances.

Add in the headlines that "former League star" SBO is getting for his match deciding skills on the field and his sporting behaviour off it and all in all a good week for League PR. With GH's timely headline grabbing 'Leeds interest in SB' this has also sent a signal not only to Union but to the NRL too that at least Leeds can match the big transfer fees if required.

Well if Burgess is still undecided then I think this can be the only reason why. He obviously didn't go there just to play club rugby. If they get sacked even he must know it's throws a big question mark over his international chances as they were massive supporters of his.

This is the problem he's created from staying silent (if he is planning on staying at Bath). If he stays at Bath most people now will just think it's because Bath wouldn't sell him....rather than because he wanted to stay there. Could well have any new England coach who might replace Lancaster questioning his commitment to RU and effect his chances of future selection if they think he might still deep down want to go back to RL.

His future International chances will be now be based solely on his performances as a back row forward even if the current coaches are not fired. It may even be easier if a new coach is appointed and Sam will be well are of this. If he decides to stay it will be a testament to his confidence to make it to the top. I have few doubts that he can make it as there is an alarming lack of genuine class around and we must not forget SB is a hell of a player.

If Burgess's mind set has been reported accurately and South's have tabled a decent deal then you would have thought Sam would have told Ford he wanted out by now and the lawyers would be typing up their bill. But the chatter coming out this week would seem to indicate that South's have not come up with the right deal, hence the statement from GH designed to let Sam know Leeds can provide a solution even just till South's are ready next year.

However Mike Ford may have been able to get Sam to think again. The waters have been muddied a bit as Ford has used phrases like "he expects" Burgess to stay rather than a definite "he is staying" which would indicate SB is still undecided. Ford has also stated that Sam has not asked to leave which doesn't mean he wants to stay either. Also it was strange Ford coming out with the statement that Leeds have not put in a bid... almost an invitation for Leeds to do so.

My gut feeling is that Sam perhaps is having second thoughts with regard to the Union/League choice. Maybe the emotional upset he felt from the tardy treatment he got from the Union media led him to believe the cure would come from a return to the comfort of family and his former sunny lifestyle in Sydney. I hope I am wrong and he becomes a Rhino even if just for a season.

He has to stay silent. He is under contract and he will have loyalty to Bath as they are innocents in all this too. He will have told Ford of his thoughts both before he went off on leave and since his return. Ford's comments would indicate he wants him to stay and is still working on persuading him. It could be that the South's deal is not possible at this time and perhaps the message from Leeds via the media was designed to try and stop Sam changing course. Ford has got to try and put a positive spin on this and I feel sorry for him too.

Ford is saying a lot. If he truly believed that Burgess wanted to stay at Bath, he'd say nothing and just let the circus continue. As it is, GH is giving the hornets nest a good kicking because he knows Sam wants out (hence why SB has said nothing). GH would keep quiet if SB didn't want to leave. I also believe GH knows Souths can't fit him under their cap for 2016, so he's letting SB know there is a viable escape route to Souths via Leeds

Not if his decision was to stay at Bath. Which is what Ford was saying a few days ago, even going as far as saying they've talked about extending his contract.

But we do not know his decision do we? Ford said he believed he would stay based on telephone conversations he had had which were possibly out of date. Ford knew SB had become unsettled because of the unfair media comment and given him leave to think things through . With so much rumour about South's it is understandable he would have offered the possibility of a contract extension in his telephone conversations.

It looks that Sam is still undecided so why you are having a go at him I do not understand. So Sam has to keep his mouth shut to the media until a deal is agreed

I'm not having a go at him, I'm pointing out the holes in some of the stuff Ford has come out with. Even the video of him on the BBC article about Leeds' interest he says Burgess was given time off because of his World Cup involvement just like other World Cup players......erm haven't they said elsewhere that it was to clear his head around the speculation and also George Ford and Anthony Watson played every game since England's exit.

We don't know his decision? Well it's obvious it's not that he wants to stay at Bath, that's obvious to tell from his silence. He only needs to stay silent if he wants to leave and has to wait for a deal to be done.....he doesn't have to stay silent if he wants stay, in fact he'd be doing his coach a hell of a favour by coming out and announcing he was staying instead of letting Ford continue having to bat away these questions daily.

No wonder burgess is at least considering a return to RL, england play him at centre, now a year later his club coach says he needs to be a no.6, some ball carrying, the odd offload, some big hit tackling but lots of scrambling around on the floor fighting for the ball, trying to be an expert at ruck, endless messing about at scrum and line out. Even if he could become a top class 6 would he actually enjoy much of the game stood around? He grew up an RL fan and player and like many of us deep down he will prefer RL as a game. His silence speaks volumes as the printer says. Rhinos made £ 1m profit last year, they can pay a fee or part fee for a 1 year deal, Gh has gone public to put some pressure on and try to force the issue, be great if it came to fruition.

Six and seven are probably the two most involved positions in the game. He certainly wouldn't be spending most of it "stood around", they're the best positions to get the most out of his abilities and where England should have insisted he started rather than messing him around just to get him involved in the World Cup.

England RU should have taken a longer term view with burgess and developed him in the back row position. It's the most interesting position and wouldn't involve a great deal of standing around. Don't get me wrong I would love him to come to Leeds and league but let's not kid ourselves that union is going to be that boring. You may not like watching it, but it's enjoyable to play in.

I don't think you are quoting Ford accurately. You omitted to say he also said after his first game back after the WC Burgess went to Ford to say his head didn't feel right so he was given leave to sort it out and come back refreshed. Ford also said the after effects of a WC can effect players in different ways and at different times in certain cases taking months. Watson and Ford Jun. have not shown ill effects yet so hence no time off yet. So no holes there.

Burgess has to stay silent until a deal is done as he is a Bath player under contract to a club he respects. I agree that the signs are that he wants out for understandable reasons but while ever there is no deal on the table or acceptable to Bath then SB has to stay quiet.

Leeds have not made an offer because SB is under contract and have made clear they will only do so if the club say they will accept offers. It is quite reasonable that Bath will expect Sam to honour his contract and they may chose to refuse to consider offers and see if time will heal SAM's worries.

If a deal is not agreed this week it will be interesting to see if Sam plays at the weekend as it was reported he said he had played his last game of Union. My guess is Ford wants to at least prove that comment wrong.