Yeah I know what you mean the publicity and money will give him a lot of publicity... But he's a superstar in Australia. I just believe his main reason is to rest his body which is understandable.



Let's just hope that he returns in 2017!!

There is a good chance Sam has never even seen a game of RU (live) if he's played RL every weekend since he was age 8!



Guess he'll be amazed about how much time he'll have during an RU game standing around doing nothing.



Hope he doesn't get over frustrated only getting the ball in his hands 6 times a match rather than 36 in RL.



Hope he wears a scrum cap in RU to protect v any publicity-seeking idiots trying to smash his face.



Age 25 now. 3 easy years in RU. That gives him the last and best 4 years of his life to tear it up back in RL again before retiring at the top (including RL World Cups in 2017 & 2021).

Indeed they do although I believe he claim was for the 2007 or possibly 2003 versions of their cup. Fact is, they have shifted the easy tickets 1 year out without a double header in sight.......they now have the hard yards to cover flogging minnow v minnow and no doubt when thy do this, you'll claim that ITV are using smoke and mirrors to make the grounds look full.......when all the time the IRB won't care as they already have the £85,000,000 in hosting fees in the bank as well as the TV rights cash and sponsorship coin.

Not bad for an unknown game

If he is reasonably successful in RU I doubt he'll ever return to RL (unless he's given his word to Russell Crowe or he's really in love with the game).

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