Rumours in Aussie press that Sam is off to Union for 2015 m.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw ... 6815622240

Rumours in Aussie press that Sam is off to Union for 2015 m.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw ... 6815622240

Well the RFU did get lucky with Jason Robinson - but since then Farrell, and Henry and Big Les ( the last two clearly not English) did not exactly bring the house down at Twickenham. I would also have thought it would be a big ask to try to get someone who has played as a league forward for his whole career to become an international union forward in a year. But then if you have the money like the RFU they don't seem to think you need sense.

It seems a typical Union tactic, who's the biggest name in League? Right, let's drive up to their house with a truck full of money and an England shirt and ask them to sign up

Article says he is under contract to Rabbitohs till end of 2016 so assume RU would pay compo to Club?

Not if they can help it, but i think it's more to do with the England RU teams recent performances. Panic buying

I hate Union and the RFU with a passion, but who could blame Sam for switching codes if this is true? He would be made financially for life, and would get more sporting kudos in this country than he ever would if he stayed in League. Plus, it will be a lot easier on his body in the long run.

It's a sad state of affairs, but he's got to look after himself and his future.

He'd be mad to go since playing in the forwards in union requires a totally different skills set. If he was a back I could see the attraction as there's less to learn. He's got great skills so why take them to a game that doesn't give you opportunity to use them?

Really hope this turns out to be rubbish and he doesn't leave RL.

We could do without the type of publicity that would ensue if he went.

The only upside would be if it was made clear that it was just a one year sabbatical from South Sydney. Plus he'd need a very strong indication from Stuart Lancaster that he would be in the England RU World Cup team.

If it came to it, he would be a fantastic inside centre for England RU. (Had to laugh when Andy Farrell played inside centre for England RU In the RU World Cup - after he had slowed down to such an extent that he was playing prop towards the end with Wigan!).

I don't think Burgess is quick enough for centre really. He's skilful and more than big enough but taking endless "crash balls" would be an utter waste of talent. However I suppose it would beat leaning on the side of a maul or getting his ar5e raked at the bottom of a ruck.

He would need to come back to England and all of his family are down under. England don't pick players playing outside of UK. But that offer if true could set him up for life and he could then return to league three years later. What a great offer for him if true. Oh where did I go wrong?

Having gone off the wagon & watching 5 minutes of yawnion on Saturday, why the hell would anyone want to play that stinking pile of poop? Sam is hardly destitute now.

Regrettably no one has ever offered me £2m for a couple of years work, so I cannot claim to speak from experience - but looking at examples close to hand probably the same reason that Henry P, Big Les and Hape did brief laps at Twickenham.

The RFU would not bat an eyelid about playing 15 ex-Bulls players - providing of course they came from NZ

But those players had arguably achieved all they were likely to in league. Burgess is on the brink of greatness at the highest level possible in either code. He can retire to yawnion in 5 years.

Fair point but the other factor is the amount of "celebrity status" yawnion players seem to command in this country which would probably mean offers to go dancing on Saturday evenings in the autumn and no doubt a multi-million pound deal for modelling Y-fronts like Dan Carter. I had hoped that one day Big Sam would have lifted the Rugby League World Cup.

I can see that as a fair point if he were ever planning to live back here.

I figure he's probably going to stay where he is, in which case he's in the best sport to be considered a celebrity.