One thing Sam will like about Union is the social circuit - he got quite a name for himself in Sydney as a bit of a Champagne Charlie - likes to mix in the wealthy/popular/higher society circles, he's above the mere commoners.... That's not a view many people will want to hear on here, but Big Sam does like to be the big deal - think the link with Russell Crowe and his stardom might have elevated his own self importance.

You still subscribing to BT just to watch the Aviva Prem rugby?

Sam Burgess will stay in Union because being the ambitious person he is, he will want to play at the next RWC and in the Lions tour of NZ in 2017, not to mention testing himself in the European Cup with Bath, and prove he has what it takes. He also won't want to be seen as a quitter. The reason he swapped codes is because of his ambition, as many people on here have highlighted RL can't service those ambitions, RU can. Once he has a whole season playing flanker he will progress in RU.

I honestly hope stays, knuckles down at bath and earns his stripes as a flanker. Sam is a winner, and he will be a winner in Union. He has nothing to prove to league anymore, I hope he stays and makes all those who have wrote him off swallow their words.

Well Burgess has committed himself in the media to staying in Union until at least the next World Cup, but wanting to do so as a back-rower rather than a centre.

Might mean he needs to step back from the international game for 12 months or so to continue learning the technicalities of the position.

SBW has ambition and switches regularly to maximise achievement. To stay in Union would not be ambitious in my opinion. It would show persistence to prove a point but at the detriment of his overall career as a sportsman.

By regularly switching codes SBW isn't maximising his potential in either sport IMO. He could have been one of the RL greats. Same can be said of Sam Burgess.

I didn't say maximising his potential at either sport but maximising achievement of ambition.

More like maximising achievement of £££....

One thing that always gets me is that we all start playing sport for the enjoyment of it... Now I know that things change when the guys are making a career of it, and they've to look after themselves and their families financially - but ultimately, they're losing out on the chance to play the sport they love, whilst still being very well rewarded financially and with the chance to build 'legendary' status just for extra money and supposedly 'challenging themselves' (though I don't really buy that - I think that's a convenient excuse for chasing the £).. I don't buy that either Burgess or SBW enjoy playing or the 'ambitious challenge' of RU as much as they would enjoy RL....

Or testing themselves in another sport.......................

It must be very difficult if someone turns up with a contract worth heaps more cash than you are getting and offers more media exposure, better sponsorship etc

Although we like to knock Union on here and personally I don't understand why it has such a huge following, you cant blame any league player for giving it a go.

There were plenty coming the other way until they went professional(as opposed to brown paper bags full of cash or overpaid jobs with sponsors etc), some were excellent and others flopped.

I do like a bit of loyalty, and people in sport seeing the job through. I think Burgess will stay with Barth until 2019.

Loyalty as in how Burgess asked to be released from the last year of his contract with Souths you mean? Or how he milked the whole Burgess clan nonsense for all it was worth then left the country?

From the point of view of the game it would be great for him to come back to RL. On a personal level I would be highly amused if he stays at Bath and ends up a journeyman forward.

Burgess was never going to come back, he is getting paid a fortune for doing very little.
It makes me laugh when people say he didn't go to Union for the money.

Burgess has no choice but to come back. Once the Rugger Bugger media decide to make some player the goat it's practically impossible to gain England selection.

Right now Burgess is toxic. Any incoming England coach will be incredibly wary of selecting him. It'll be hard enough turning this bunch into a functioning rugby team without having the press on your back, too.

Deluded/
£800 K PA will make him cope with any crap he gets from the media.

A few months at 6 and he will be in the England squad. Maybe not playing in the team but will be in the squad.

Just imagine he earns more than 50% of a WHOLE SL teams salary cap or
20% of an NRL cap.