Maybe he just wants some kind of "dual-code" contract like SBW where he can dip in and out of either team, dependent on where each code is in the World cup (or British Lions) cycle.

Not according to Souths

rlhttp://www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12196/9152475/south-sydney-rabbitohs-no-rugby-union-approach-for-england-forward-sam-burgessrl

Is Caisley still his 'agent'?

I just knew you were a closet rah rah fan!

Well the story doing the Hack rounds is that Sam didn't like having his hands slapped by McGuire for some ""trivial"" disciplinary incidents and that the Team Inglis especially didn't appreciate Sam and the Brothers getting all the extra publicity. Also Sam gets mercilessly pilloried by the Oz ereatti as being an out and out thug when he's no worse than anyone else in the NRL

Because he will realise that Union offers so much more than League ever will?

Like a genuine world game? A competitive international game and World Cup? Financial gain? Crowds? Heineken Cup? Lions tours?

RU is lightyears ahead of RL. Burgess will be well aware of this.

Having grown up playing and watching yawnion I feel qualified to say it is a pile of boring poop compared to league. Just because it is hyped up by the press doesn't mean that Burgess will find it satisfying. As much as it gets huge publicity & international crowds yawnion is not a world game, it is played competitively in only a handful more countries than league. 90% of the world will not have seen a game.

I am not arguing that the game is not very dull. It is. RL is the superior game to watch, but RU is BY FAR the bigger game worldwide.

Let's just have a wee look.

Internationally we have the 6 nations, the southern hemisphere four nations, the Autumn test series, and a World Cup with a number of sides with a hope, rather than not having a prayer.

There are strong sides in Aus, NZ, South Africa, England, Ireland, Argentina, France and Wales. There are secondary countries like Scotland, Italy, Samoa, Tonga, Romania, and Fiji.

Club wise there are strong leagues in France, England, Japan, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. There is the Heineken Cup, Amlin Challenge Cup, Super 15, Celtic League, Anglo Welsh Cup.

Despite your claim that 90% have not seen a game and it is only played of a handful more countries than league there are 101 registered international RU playing nations.

There is also a World Sevens competition annually.

You usually have it spot on TT (in fact you are one of the few I cannot ever remember arguing with ) but these claims really do make you sound like so many other RL fans with a chip on their shoulder in regards to the other code. There is so much jealousy from RL towards the other code it is untrue.

Back in the days when the Amateur RU game existed, I doubt there was much dissent from RL fans when the better Union players switched codes. Now the shoe is on the other foot it is a source of derision.

Like it or not, RU has a strong international audience and participation, RL is pretty much only played to any standard in four COUNTIES in the world, Lancashire, Yorkshire, NSW and Queensland.

Utter nonsense.

What about Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Humberside?

Personally I reckon he will get a lot of satisfaction earning far more money, in front of bigger crowds, in bigger competitions and with far less stress on his body.

Burgess is a young lad. He could easily make his coin in RU for five years or so then return to league for a few more seasons. He will prolong his career in the "softer" code.

I can see him doing a Sonny Bill and having a season or two of union then back to league. I just hope his skills don't get blunted playing the more restricted code.

I wonder if this statement is part of this story?

Salford owner Dr Marwan Koukash says the club are looking to get an exemption from the salary cap in order to sign a "very special player".

An exemption from the cap? How does that work then? Would it not defeat the purpose of the cap in the first place?