It's the move to Bath that's baffling, I attended a few of their games recently and it's such a slow & stop start sport, it's gonna be a massive change in pace from the NRL. I'd have thought such a high profile player like Sam would've been more attracted to the much faster Super 15 or a seriously big money side like Toulon.

Don't england RU have the if you don't play in England yo don't play for England rule? Assuming that is the aim, it somewhat limits his options and Bath has the advantage of being a nice place

The RFU insist on players being part of English teams to warrant selection. The guy that owns bath is seriously minted and I am sure that Sam will be well looked after whilst he is there.......as for missing Sydney? I suspect his family will be the biggest loss to him during his spell in union. Whether he comes back to league or not will be down to fiscal opportunities......I suspect the NRL or French union is where he'll end up

Thanks for that, saved me the trouble.

I'm as sad as anyone else that Sam's gone....BUT..... I hope he goes on to be a massive union star. I hope he makes the squad for RUWC 2015 and is the best player....what better advert for RL could you ever hope for?

What trouble? 8 posts into this RLFANS career and you feel able to play the "4billion" card like some sort of pseudo RL Yoda?

Interested to hear how many tickets the RWC 2015 have actually sold then?

It's a serious question, because as many journalists from both within and without the game of RL have noted of late, it is the fans and their often narrow minded views that hold the game of League back and your need to underline a blatant PR gaffe by the IRB some 10 years ago as proof that the RWC 2015 organisers are lying about the 5,000,000 applications or the 1,000,000 sales is yet another example of "little man" syndrome.

The Fact....whilst you're trying to find non-existent proof that they haven't sold a million or that there weren't 5,000,000 applied for, is that if Burgess makes the England team for the 2015 6 Nations, as he must do to have a chance of making the RWC squad, he will play in front to 75,000 in Wales, then 82,000 in London followed by 50,000 in Dublin, another 82,000 in London and then again, 82,000 in London.

In Union he gets seen by 371,000 fans in 5 weekends spread over 7 weeks.

Burgess made his international debut in 2007 for GB and has played 15 times (2 GB/13 England) and has been watched by 381,721 fans over 7 YEARS.

Let's giggle at the bigger sports PF gaffe again shall we...because it somehow makes there sport less massive when compared to ours?

Stop pretending you didn't read his reply, pointing out what you were far to quick to misinterpret.

Nah...he said unknown game, pure and simple.....his side-step shuffle was very good, but he's already been given a 6.1 by the judges

It wasn't 10 years ago it was after the 2011 Rugby Union World Cup.

The "4 Billion watching" rubbish was well before 2011 RWC....either 2007 or even 2003. The IRB were quite pointed in their "non-reporting" of TV audiences after that other than a claim that 18,000,000 French watched the 2011 final.
You'll see from this report before the 2011 event that the 4 billion had become "cumulative".....although I am sure that Even MasterCard who commissioned it took the figure with a pinch of salt.
rlhttp://www.rugbyworldcup.com/mm/Document/Tournament/Mediazone/02/05/05/75/RWC-ec-report.pdfrl
On further inspection, it looks like it was after the 2007 event that the 4 Billion figure was used......and even the one eyed NZ Press saw through it
rlhttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id

It never ceases to amaze me that some of the more insecure amongst us cling to this PR gaffe like a smoking gun The reality is that the RWC 2015 Organisers have shifted 1,000,000 tickets 12 months out from the event......unless you have proof that they haven't that is?

Burgess, if selected for the 6 Nations will also, using the BBC's claimed average audience for the tournament, be seen by 22,500,000 sets of eyeballs on FTA TV over 7 weeks and 5 games.

Sam Burgess has already publicly stated last Saturday, in a TV interview with Darren Lockyer at half time in the England vs Samoa game, that he is likely to return to rugby league in 2017.

I started a thread about this but a moderator from Wakefield locked the thread. He stated that I should use an existing thread on Sam Burgess. I re-posted the news on that existing thread, but it was removed, presumably by a wise moderator.

Quite a few people have mentioned 2017 and i would be surprised if he remained in Union for more than 3 years.TBH i still reckon he is thinking of playing a part in this coming WC and is one of his major reasons for moving over.If he is overlooked,which is likely considering his injury and lack of time to get to grips with the game,tuen i think we will see him back pretty soon.

SBW played a handful of matches at RWC 2011, but only 5 minutes combined in the semi-final and Final. Union is such that you can afford to bring a few "box office" players to the tournament and use them in "pool games" as SBW was. He played 80 v Tonga, Japan and France in the pool games and against Argentina in the Quarters, but the business end of the comp saw the AB's play their strongest 15.

If he makes the 6 Nations squad he'll get game time in all matches.....at RWC15 England will make room for him and roll him out v Uruguay and Fiji, with maybe a bench spot v Wales. If they win the group he'll get time v Scotland or Samoa, if they come second, he'll be lucky to get another game all comp.
After that?

I agree.and i get the feeling he has pretty much been offered this as part of the deal for switching.lets not forget englands backroom team includes ex RL players Farrell and Ford aswell as the actual coach Lancaster being a self confessed admirer of TGG.Your summary will probably prove to be correct.

First time for everything I suppose