Slammin...
Whether it be Russell Crowe's account of him as one of League's "sparkly eyed men" or his mother recounting how aged 16 her boy became the primary carer for his father, a sufferer of Motor Neurone Disease, carrying him up the 21 stairs of the Burgess household each night aged 16 to put him to bed. "Slammin Sam" The recent Fox documentary on Sam Burgess leaves the viewer in no doubt that the 25 year old from Dewsbury is not only a once in a generation footballer but a special character in any walk of life.
Today Burgess who debuted for Great Britain aged just 18 confirmed that as of October 2014 he will switch his attention to Rugby Union with the Bath club. The announcement followed weeks of speculation that Sam would leave Souths in the NRL to chase the opportunity of representing his country in the 2015 Rugby World Cup on English turf. The signing has immediately split the English rugby community whilst HQ is understandably excited about the impact an 'SBW' type player could have to their sides midfield the RFL were left lamenting the loss of one of their few global superstars.
The story of Slammin Sam has a romantic undertone, in 2013 he and his 3 brothers Luke, Tom and George made history as they became the first set of four brothers to take the field together in the National Rugby League in over a century. However if he were to make Stuart Lancaster's squad for the 2015 tournament it would perhaps be the achievement to topple all others. History tells us that a successful cross code move is never a foregone conclusion think Karl Pryce, Lee Smith and Chev Walker even league superstars such as Harris, Farrell and Paul fell to a level of mediocrity in the union game. Burgess would do better to find inspiration from the likes of Jason Robinson, Brad Thorne, Sonny Bill Williams and most recently Israel Folau. Even though the latter examples have experienced huge success all took time to bed in and allow their talents to flourish in the fifteen man code, perhaps excuse from that Folau whose rise has been nothing short of meteoric.
Time is one thing that the former Bradford Bull does not have on his side, his contract with Bath commences in October on the back of a long NRL season which Burgess would love to complete as a Premiership winner, with his beloved South Sydney. In essence Burgess will have just over half a season to prove that he can adapt his powerful offloading game to the structures of his new code. It took Sonny Bill with whom the rugby world will naturally draw comparison, in excess of two seasons to make the All Blacks and even then he remained Henry's second choice behind Ma'a Nonu although admittedly Lancaster does not have a Nonu at his disposal.
The nature of the beast means that the move to union will ultimately be a success when we look back at the end of the three year term although only time will tell as to whether Burgess achieves his World Cup goal which will have been a primary driver behind his move ($$$$??). One thing's for sure is that the competitive drive that runs through this sparkly eyed man will make him an instant hit down at the Rec and I for one already eagerly anticipate the debut of the one they call Slammin.
Today Burgess who debuted for Great Britain aged just 18 confirmed that as of October 2014 he will switch his attention to Rugby Union with the Bath club. The announcement followed weeks of speculation that Sam would leave Souths in the NRL to chase the opportunity of representing his country in the 2015 Rugby World Cup on English turf. The signing has immediately split the English rugby community whilst HQ is understandably excited about the impact an 'SBW' type player could have to their sides midfield the RFL were left lamenting the loss of one of their few global superstars.
The story of Slammin Sam has a romantic undertone, in 2013 he and his 3 brothers Luke, Tom and George made history as they became the first set of four brothers to take the field together in the National Rugby League in over a century. However if he were to make Stuart Lancaster's squad for the 2015 tournament it would perhaps be the achievement to topple all others. History tells us that a successful cross code move is never a foregone conclusion think Karl Pryce, Lee Smith and Chev Walker even league superstars such as Harris, Farrell and Paul fell to a level of mediocrity in the union game. Burgess would do better to find inspiration from the likes of Jason Robinson, Brad Thorne, Sonny Bill Williams and most recently Israel Folau. Even though the latter examples have experienced huge success all took time to bed in and allow their talents to flourish in the fifteen man code, perhaps excuse from that Folau whose rise has been nothing short of meteoric.
Time is one thing that the former Bradford Bull does not have on his side, his contract with Bath commences in October on the back of a long NRL season which Burgess would love to complete as a Premiership winner, with his beloved South Sydney. In essence Burgess will have just over half a season to prove that he can adapt his powerful offloading game to the structures of his new code. It took Sonny Bill with whom the rugby world will naturally draw comparison, in excess of two seasons to make the All Blacks and even then he remained Henry's second choice behind Ma'a Nonu although admittedly Lancaster does not have a Nonu at his disposal.
The nature of the beast means that the move to union will ultimately be a success when we look back at the end of the three year term although only time will tell as to whether Burgess achieves his World Cup goal which will have been a primary driver behind his move ($$$$??). One thing's for sure is that the competitive drive that runs through this sparkly eyed man will make him an instant hit down at the Rec and I for one already eagerly anticipate the debut of the one they call Slammin.
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