Burgess

Well done London media. Hounded the lad out of the sport. Union's loss is league's gain though.

 

These days Union and League really are two different games and with the exception of wingers such as Jason Robinson it's harder for League players to make the transition. Would have been great for the League in this country if he'd signed for the Rhinos who could have taken advantage of the marquee signing rules for 2016.

 

Welcome home Slamming Sam.

 

I agree, he has been made a scapegoat - rather unfairly too.

 

It's not worked out for him, he was forced into the limelight too quickly IMO. Agree that some of the media have been their usual OTT selves though.

I see Sinfield has joined Union at a lower level. Learn his trade and work his way up.

 

It's the blame that's been apportioned to him that is ridiculous. His inclusion at the World Cup had nothing to do with our exit. He was actually the difference that got us the bonus point against Fiji when he came on. We were dominant against Wales for an hour and had a good lead when Burgess went off. No one has spoken about Brad Barrett who was very poor in every game, and the forwards had a shocking World Cup. We lost games of rugby at the break down and conceding soft penalties.

I'm not saying Burgess was our best player but he was far from our worse, and none of the games were lost at inside centre. Yet every time the World Cup failure is mentioned in the press Burgess is part of the same sentence. Too much union snobbery wanting a league convert to fail. And I say that as an ex-union player.

 

I don't disagree with any of that ark. I think the expectation heaped on him because of his world class ability at league has caused it. He's been expected to carry that class through into union immediately. Agree he's done nowt wrong, I thought he did as well as most at the WC, anyone with any sense can see that, but our media don't work like that. They need a scapegoat and he's the obvious easy target. In a roundabout way Jason Robinson hasn't helped either, he made the switch seamlessly so it's expected now (by our ridiculous press anyway).

I wish he'd started union at a lower level though, played a load of club games and been flying for the next WC as I think he could have been a real asset.

 

The Rugger Bugger World Cup is an utter irrelevance.

 

Have you seen the attendance figures and tv audiences? Aye proper utter irrelevance.

 

I may not have read the London media, but I haven't read articles suggesting Burgess was in any way to blame, and neither should they. I have read a lot of criticism of Lancaster for picking an untried centre, it was always a gamble and the World Cup wasn't perhaps the best time to start.
The big problem has been that Lancaster just hasn't been able to decide who his best three quarters are....or his back row for that matter.....which with hindsight
was a bigger issue than three quarters.

 

Agree with every bit of that. Some of the sports-writers' attitudes towards him have been nothing short of shameful. I remember one article in particular, I think by Paul Heyward(?) in the Telegraph, which ran shortly after we lost against Wales, the crux of which was that his selection had been a terrible mistake, and had cost us the Wales game etc. It was absolute b*llocks, and had clearly been written as a hatchet job before the game had even been played, as the observations bore no resemblance to the game I had just seen Burgess play (and influence), and I'm genuinely surprised his editor ran with it. There's every chance that lad would have turned out to be as decisive and inspirational a union international as he is in RL, which would have been huge for the England team, however thanks to t*ssers like Heyward it looks like we'll now never find out.

 

Too busy laughing at this to comment further.

 

Read the exact same article. It was staggering.

 

Yes it was Paul Hayward who also happens to be the chief sports writer for the Telegraph, which sort of makes it worse.

 

Mmmmmmm.... these people may write as they see fit, and there is an argument for saying there has been an obsession with Burgess.

But do you really think that that would make a real man go back to league?

More likely he's in between positions in union, he prefers his family committments, and there may be more money in going back.

Blaming keyboarders is missing the real reasons by a mile. And suggesting we all live our lives by virtue of what someone we've hardly heard of says about us is tosh.

 

I

He wasn't I between positions, he was being played as a forward for Bath, only the fool at England thought he make a centre. As for for mone, he was on the biggest contract in the English league.

 

To be fair I'm sure the decision is multifaceted but he's been treated shockingly by the sport. I read one of the media blaming Burgess for the sideshow he brought in the lead up to the World Cup, the sideshow completely caused by the media! As for Gordon D'Arcy's assessment of the Wales game it was nonsense. I'm sure getting complete unfair daily criticism from people who didn't want him to succeed because he's from League certainly didn't encourage him to remain in union

 

Yeah well he had the chance to be told by Bath where he was playing from now on, yet still chose to leave.

Did he expect to waltz into the World Cup?

The "fool" was a fool for picking him in the squad. He did not deserve a position as a forward or back.

And as for money, compare his dough from now on compared to playing for Bath.

Though having said that there may be a family element to it.