If England had the worlds best rugby player, they would probably win on Saturday and knock out the tournament favourites. However the league heartland born and bred lad, who is a celebrity on the east coast of Australia, playing in the biggest and best domestic league in world rugby, has left his 3 brothers to go and play an unknown sport. Why, and how can we get him back in time for the 2017 World Cup?

Think big on our internationals. One year out from the union World Cup and the general public applied for over five million tickets despite the sky high prices. Four million people missed out on tickets. At the same time as this tournament England will play New Zealand in a 3 match test series. Those four million people are potential new customers for RL who need to be targeted now while the irons still hot. They want to attend a rugby event in a years time but have just been told to put their wads off cash away and watch at home. Let's get Wembley, Etihad, and a double header with Wales v France at Millennium stadium signed up, then market and sell our product to these people and get Sam Burgess back where he belongs in a RL shirt.

My personal disappointment in him not being available for England for this tournament disappeared when he would've been ruled out through his cheekbone injury anyways even if he was staying with RL.

Unknown sport you say? 5 million applicants you say? 4 million disappointed you say? Make your mind up......unknown or oversubscribed?
The first allocation was for 1,000,000 tickets......there are another 2,000,000 to sell that won't be as well subscribed for. They won't shift them all and regardless of if they get close, flogging the kiwi tests is a different thing all together.

It's unknown to Sam Burgess as he has never played the game. It's well known to the general public thanks in part to the massive exposure the game regularly gets on the bbc. Four million people have just missed out on tickets. Yes games including Namibia and Uruguay still have tickets to sell. The kiwi tests are a different thing, but it's still Eng v NZ playing rugby, in Union all four million people would want to attend that game. I am saying we should be trying to target these people, such as via Facebook, while they are still disappointed at missing out on the World Cup with marketing such as "just missed out on World Cup tickets? Watch Eng v NZ rugby league instead" if we tempt 2% to give it a try that would be 80000 people on top of the rugby league regulars.

It's a real shame he's not there. Injury would have probably ruled him out anyway but had he been available we'd go very close to winning this tournament which would cement his legend status for years down the line when he retires.

Minus him and O'Loughlin Sunday could still get a bit messy against a team that's being written off.

We're essentially missing our first choice back row, Burgess, Flanders and Westwood. I'd also consider including Hock but he hasn't played for England against one of the decent teams in years.

5 Million applicants !

4 Million missing out !

Really?

That's right up there with their claim of 3.9 Billion viewers watched the 2011 RUWC
They've got form for such ridiculous claims

Hasn't Hock refused to play for England under SM, something to do with the 'no booze or being late for training' policy? As good as he is on his day, I think he's too much of a risk, he's a liability at times on & off the pitch.

You just have to love Sam Burgess the guy is everything you want your leader to be on the field and off it.

Yes he's left to play union but let's face it with info I have heard from close friends of Sam and what others have heard he has only left to look after his body he would be finished too early if he stayed in the NRL. He will end up returning to Souths in 2017 because let's be honest he loves that club!

That might be part of the equation, and maybe a significant part, but let's face it that's not the only reason he has left for Union.

It's for the money and publicity that he can't get in League. I don't blame him for that, but neither do I think it's the end of the world for RL that some seem to think it is either.

So we (as a sport) have to keep producing players to replace the likes of Eastmond, Myler & Burgess. Meh, it's only what RU had to do in the past when the boot was on the other foot.

The issue that will affect RL far, far more than whether a handful of albeit excellent players go to Union is if we get international RL sorted out or if we continue to cock it up for another 30 years, with only a handful if bright sparks of hope amongst that.

He will never play international rugby again imo but the only person to blame for that is Gareth Hock.on his day a fine talent and he would walk into this back row were he in any kind of decent form but a complete and utter bafoon for the way he has conducted himself time and again down the years and thrown away the chance to have been one of the best.

Yeah I know what you mean the publicity and money will give him a lot of publicity... But he's a superstar in Australia. I just believe his main reason is to rest his body which is understandable.

Let's just hope that he returns in 2017!!

There is a good chance Sam has never even seen a game of RU (live) if he's played RL every weekend since he was age 8!

Guess he'll be amazed about how much time he'll have during an RU game standing around doing nothing.

Hope he doesn't get over frustrated only getting the ball in his hands 6 times a match rather than 36 in RL.

Hope he wears a scrum cap in RU to protect v any publicity-seeking idiots trying to smash his face.

Age 25 now. 3 easy years in RU. That gives him the last and best 4 years of his life to tear it up back in RL again before retiring at the top (including RL World Cups in 2017 & 2021).

Indeed they do although I believe he claim was for the 2007 or possibly 2003 versions of their cup. Fact is, they have shifted the easy tickets 1 year out without a double header in sight.......they now have the hard yards to cover flogging minnow v minnow and no doubt when thy do this, you'll claim that ITV are using smoke and mirrors to make the grounds look full.......when all the time the IRB won't care as they already have the £85,000,000 in hosting fees in the bank as well as the TV rights cash and sponsorship coin.
Not bad for an unknown game

If he is reasonably successful in RU I doubt he'll ever return to RL (unless he's given his word to Russell Crowe or he's really in love with the game).