Sam Burgess has the tools to succeed: SBW

SBW has had a below average season. By his own admission he doesn’t know how to play instinctive rugby. So why woould he be qualified to comment on Sam Burgess. The failaing aspects of SBWs game are going to be corrected by a fireside chat with AB manager Foster. What a load of rubbish. For a player touted as a superb athlete he is very fragile. He dodged fronting up against Nonu all season. There are numerous players in NZ who are better than SBW on recent form. I suspect there is one word to sum up why SBW is in the ABs WC squad…adidas. The fact that SBW has been placed in the best team in the world with the best players around him is why it appears to many that he is successful. If he were to try and make his way without the name then it would be a different story. There have been many successful transitions from Rugby to league and vice versa. Post ww2Fred DeBelin Ken Kearney and the list can go on and on. During the 1950s a number of French Rugby League teams were made up entirely of French Rugby players during a time when the IRB had banned France from competing because of the amount of money changing hands in France. So playing both codes of rugby is not new and SBW is not the first nor the best by a long way.

Martin Offiah was another rugby union player who switched to rugby league, but yes, he did switch codes. Can't remember if he ever went back to rugby union.

Andrew Walker was a fully fledged rugby union player first and foremost who played first grade for Randwick at 17. He had a young family and as rugby was still amateur, switched to rugby league to support his family. He was a rugby union player who converted to rugby league, then went back again.

and Andrew Walker was a far superior to player than SBW........in both codes.

But he is correct - SBW's affectation that he showed the way for others is just silly. He seems completely unaware of how many other players have made that switch before him, or perhaps just too self-absorbed.

burgess looks too slow for his position

And i believe young Burgess played union growing up? If so a double code hop!

Completely agree with you and not bothered by your bullying comment and almost derrogatory towards the frogs. I go for the Wallabies. For the record.

I can't comment about Rugby Union , but Burgess owned SBW in every league game I saw them play against each other. Burgess is the best RL forward I havè seen in a long time.

If you think that Folau and Burgess put more stock in Sailor, Tuqiri, Rogers, Robinson and Thorn switching from league to rugby then you're kidding yourself. Of course they're going to care more about what their contemporaries do than historic examples.

SBW said that coming over has shown sone players that its not too far to reach. Ohhh, hes so arrogant suggesting that if he made others can too. Unless you think to yourself, is that arrogant to suggest that hes been able to do it so others can too? No, it isnt. Saying not many or no others could do it would be but to say that hes shown that if he can, others can is EXACTLY the opposite of arrogance, its being humble. Tell me Pete, if I was to say to you "if I can do it, you can too", does that make me arrogant? But yeah, Walker was the first to do it. Well he wasnt but he was the first Australian. Not that SBW is Australian or that Walker was the first or anything. SBW said that he had shown some that it was do-able. Gee how arrogant. I wonder if SBW was inspired by some arrogant so-and-so before him? I have no doubt that SBW did help inspire players like Folau and Burgess, Im actually 100% positive of that because they have both said as much.

Va'aiga Tuigamala

Martin Offiah switched codes too

The article said SBW believes he shown a light for Burgess and Folau. He is kidding himself. Folua would have seen Sialor, Rogers and Tuqiri all backs going from league to rugby. Also it is not about playing both codes but specifically going from league to rugby not the other way. That could only be done when rugby went professional. Jason Robinson was first in 1996. Burgess would know more about this switch since he was brought in England than later ones. Willie Carne was the first Australian / NRL one 1997. It was not successful though. Andrew Walker the first successful Australian / NRL one in 2000. Plenty of others until johnny come lately SBW who thinks he opened the door.

Do you think Sam Burgess knows who Andrew Walker is? And Sam Walker was about 100 years too late to be one of the first to play both codes. If you think, then you will understand that SBW and Burgess play the same position internationally in both codes. Andrew Walker play 2nd row much Peter? SBW is noted for being humble, hard working and always trying to improve. Thats what people who play with him and coach him say. Then there are people who dont know him, are not top level coaches or players and they say he isnt modest and that hes only motivated by money. Top level coaches want him in the team. People who love to chop down the tall poppy say he shouldnt be there.

Yeah, he played bad once. SBW is so bad. Hes better than every single French player, all of them. He would make any tean in the world including the best one, the All Blacks. I expect him to be excellent for NZ again. Mind you, he is in 9/10 games. Which makes your comment all the more ridiculous. I wonder which game France will play hard for this year, its usually one per year isnt it?

I don't believe any quote "stands on its own" without context. We are always seeing sportsmen misquoted for a headline. He might only have been asked specifically about the guys he faced week to week in the NRL Journalist: "With you and Sam Burgess, as well as Ben Te'o, being such huge rivals in the NRL, do you think your successful transition to rugby, was an influence on them making the switch"? And in any case Im not sure that his comment warranted a "SBW is so up himself" response from yourself, when the guy has been in the spotlight since 2004, and we have years and years of evidence that proves the exact opposite. A truly humble bloke.

don't agree, the quote stands on its own. He clearly says he has opened the door. “It’s cool to see that my coming over 6-7 years ago to rugby, and being able to make it, a lot of these guys have seen that,” Williams said. “It’s kind of opened that door, to know that it’s not too far out of reach. It’s good to see them make their way through and do their own thing.”

SBW is one of the most humble guys in professional sport. I'd be interested to hear the framing of the question before saying he is up himself. You very, very rarely hear him talk himself up, which is quite extraordinary when you look at what he has achieved.

SBW is so up himself. Andrew Walker was one of the first. If you are talking high profile then Sailor, Rogers and Tuqiri and Robinson in England, and Thorn in NZ opened the eyes and led the way far more than SBW.