- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Following an astonishing performance in the NRL grand final, Sam Burgess is crossing the great divide and joining the English rugby union ranks at Bath.
Sam’s motivation in making this move? To play in the Rugby World Cup in England, at the end of the season.
Despite some reports suggesting Bath see him as a flanker, his most likely position will be in the centres, with former England legend Jeremy Guscott and current England backs coach Andy Farrell both backing him there.
Farrell, a dual international, also made the change from rugby league forward to England centre, so has some authority on the issue.
At Bath, he will join up with head coach Mike Ford, another former rugby league international, who is in an excellent position to guide his first steps in union.
Burgees is demonstrably one of the great league players. When it was first announced that he would be code-hopping to union, I was incredibly excited about the impact he could have in the centres for England.
But I don’t think this will happen at the 2015 World Cup.
For a start, he has just come off a frenetic, bruising season playing in the NRL, culminating in him shattering his cheekbone on Sunday night.
In an interview with Channel Nine before the semi-final against the Roosters last week, Sam said he didn’t think he’d be able to last another four years in the NRL, “not the way we play”.
That was a startling admission for a 25-year-old at the peak of his physical ability. It said to me that the collisions he has put his body through this season are taking their toll and, at the very least, he is in need of a good off-season.
But he’s not going to have an off season. He is off to Bath to start all over again.
The collisions in union will not be as frequent as the hit-ups he undertakes in league. But in playing to his strengths, getting over the gain line and making offloads, he will still be putting his body on the line throughout another long season.
The second issue is that he will have to learn all the nuances of a new sport, with all its complicated breakdown rules, while also getting his endurance up. Hauling his 116kg frame around a rugby union field in any position will take some doing.
This ties in with his third problem, getting in the team in the first place.
Centre has been England’s problem position over the last few years, as coaches have tried to find the right mix of power and creativity in the middle.
But in the last year or so, English centres have undergone a bit of a resurgence.
Luther Burrell, Brad Barritt, Manu Tuilagi and Billy Twelvetrees all performed admirably in the Six Nations and on England’s tour to New Zealand, with Owen Farrell or George Ford providing the midfield creativity from fly-half.
Then there are Sam’s future Bath teammates.
Former league player Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph have started the season brilliantly in midfield along with fly-half George Ford, and former Welsh international Gavin Henson is waiting for his opportunity.
Just breaking into the Bath team, who are flying in the English Premiership, quickly enough to put forward a decent case for inclusion in the England side will be a hard enough challenge.
Bath have invested a lot of money in Big Sam, and will be making every effort to accommodate him in the side, but competition for places exisits, and if he doesn’t perform, he won’t play.
Sam will meet the technical challenges head on and, with the help of Ford and Eastmond, will excel in the same role that Sonny Bill Williams plays for the Chiefs and New Zealand. He will be a perfect foil outside Eastmond and be a huge presence in England’s midfield.
The final and biggest issue is time.
Sam’s contract with Bath starts in October. He then has just three months to get himself into contention for a Six Nations start. With his shattered cheekbone requiring surgery, he could be out of action for at least another couple of weeks, further diminishing the time available to him.
Stuart Lancaster will use the Six Nations to test out combinations and fine-tune preparations for the World Cup, so if Sam doesn’t adapt quickly enough, it will be very tough for him to make the squad.
Sam is a phenomenal talent, there is no doubt about that, but playing an entire season with South Sydney, then trying to adapt to a different code, with very different rules, all in the space of a couple of months?
Sam Burgess will be a huge success in rugby union, but 2015 will come too soon for him. Regardless, it’s going to be exciting to see him try.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.