At least it gives Sam Burgess someone to run over again.

Depends on how much the kiwis will pay him. He is a whore, whoever pays the most gets his services, wouldn't surprise me to see in wrestling or some other bs sport during the off season!

That is very unfair and flat wrong. SBW is a great athlete who is challenging himself to reach the pinnacle of several different sports during his lifetime. That is why he has taken up boxing (under the influence of Anthony Mundine) and played rugby union at the World Cup for New Zealand, and why he is likely to play for the Kiwis in the rugby league World Cup ---where the pay is miniscule.

Correct, if he wanted to sustain and build his wealth he wouldn't have left France for New Zealand or Japan for the Roosters, I don't think you can say SBW is completely motivated by money alone.

Not really sure why you posted that link, at no point did I say he wasn't good. One former player saying he was the player of the round does not make him the best in the world. So again im unsure as to why you posted that link. You could post tons of links with 'experts' stating their player of the round, what does that prove???? Just as all the constant stories raving about SBW doesn't make him the best in the world.

SBW isn't improving slowly he's improving very quickly, that's the scary thing, but brilliant for the Roosters and League fans in general. 4 games in and he's already looking very good. It sometimes depends on what your looking for, I mean I want my forwards to offload, and Sam isn't doing that enough and doesn't seem to look for that whereas SBW is trying to do it at every opportunity but unlink certain other players, his error count is low. Sam has made several tackle busts but no clear line breaks this season, although that will change. You can look at several stats to prove what you want, I know that, but my point is Sam isn't the outright best the world, he's bloody brilliant, as are several other forwards. Its funny how Super League fans rate NRL players, you rarely get many mentioning someone like Paul Gallen.

Believe me I want Sam to be the best, I want England to do well and we need players like Sam to be at his best. But wait until the end of the season before we start talking about who is the best in the world, and not base it on one game because as good as Sam has been ive seen some games were he has been terrible, and you wouldn't rate on them games.

and you think the Roosters are able to pay him the most???? Highly doubtful.....

It is a real pity that the France vs New Zealand match in the World Cup will be held at the Parc des Sports in Avignon, because it holds only 17,518. We can expect that venue to be sold out well before match day (4,000 seats have already been sold, 7 months in advance of the match!). It would have been better to hold the match in Toulouse, at the Stadium Municipal de Toulouse, which holds 35,472. I am sure that the match could have attracted at least 25,000 fans, if not more, if Sonny Bill Williams chooses to play.

As for the matches in England, we will probably have to wait until the semi-finals at Wembley to see England vs New Zealand. That matchup, if it occurs, (on the same day as Australia vs Italy or Fiji or Samoa) could attract 55 - 60,000 fans. But the majority would not be coming to see Sam Burgess vs Sonny Bill Williams (though the roughly 20,000 northern England heartlands contingent of [iaficionados[/i will be interested in that). The majority, many of them casual sports fans, some of them rugby union fans, will be coming to see the maestro Sonny Bill Williams.

For the past 4 years since moving to Dubai i have watched all most every NRL games and i have seen sam have not so great games usually where he is injured but since Maguire came in he has been awesome and has only got better from Madges ruthless tactics. The fact sam is actually offloading shows what a great player is because anybody who knows Maguire knows he likes 0 percent risk players from forwards. Look i love sonny bill William's i'm not some one who wants him to fail i watched him every time he played for the crusaders and then the chiefs but i will wait for a few more games till i rate him properly he was very quite in the south sydney game other than being put over for the try, and he had a solid game last weekend with a few good offloads but that was against the eels and they was bad. also he is struggling in one on one defense and i don't just mean against sam burgess he really looked like he was struggling with Jacob loco.

as far as sam being the best forward in the[u=#4000FF world right now[/u he is, James Tamou and Matt Scott are aus best front rowers and there not up to it at the moment, Paul Gallen looks half the player compared to last season (maybe been unsettled from ASADA inquiry).

Many consider Cameron Smith to be the best forward in the game, I am one of them.

Oh Capdouze, you wag.

Did the attraction of SBW put 20k on the gate at Toulon? Has he put 20k on the gate at the Roosters?

What makes you think that number are going to turn out specifically to watch him in the RLWC?

Go on, I could do with a giggle this afternoon at your reasoning.

Deos any one seriously consider a hooker as a forward these days? To me there just the tougher and better defensive half backs.

Sydney Roosters crowd numbers are up significantly this season. I cannot say for sure that it is just SBW who has caused that. It could be a combination of having the maestro SBW, the sensational centre Michael Jennings, and the classy five eighth James Maloney, and having the highly esteemed former coach of the very famous Catalans Dragons, Trent Robinson, as the new Roosters coach.

Speaking as a Roosters member, its not just SBW that is improving the gates and feeling around Easts, its the other factors you mentioned, Jennings, Maloney, Robinson, and pretty much the whole side improving. I think SBW is having an effect on crowds, but not just the Roosters fans and you will definitely see that next week when the Bulldogs come to the SFS.

Well considering it seems to be the done thing to just post a link on this forum, here is one to answer your question about the pulling power of SBW.

[urlhttp://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/sonny-bill-williams-net-nrl-clubs-millions-of-dollars-this-season/story-e6frexnr-1226589485490[/url

I think the kiwi's and the Aussies should both beware Sam "The Hitman" and George "The Monster" burgess

Sam Burgess is by far the greatest Forward in the World and eat's the like's of Sonny Bill for breakfast.

oh dear, I love fans basing everything on one game. People claim to watch every game of NRL yet have complete disregard for some of the top players in the world. Even the leagues top meter maker and off-loader is said to be half the player. As much as I want England to do well, im going to take great pleasure watching English NRL experts eat their words about SBW........

i dont claim to watch every game, i do watch every game would you like me to take a picture of my osn box to prove a petty point?

i haven't said burgess is the twice the player of gallen, but he certainly is playing better than him at the moment and every other forward in the nrl.

I wasn't talking about you, so don't take things so personally. Im talking about the many English Super League fans who claim to watch every game, and there are many, that form opinions based on hearsay, bias and listening to other uneducated 'experts' on this forum.

Im not getting into this Burgess thing anymore its getting boring and we're all entitled to our own opinions. I think he's great and if he is the best he will show it all season and in the world cup. I will continue to watch the many other great forwards in this league while some obsess over one, simply because he is English, if he was an Aussie he wouldn't be getting so much attention by English fans.

What a load of Sh*t, the English fans say Burgess is the best forward in the World because he is the best forward in the world, and i'd guess most English fans say Cameron Smith is the best hooker in the World (he's not English), Billy Slater is the best fullback in the World (he's not English), Jonathan Thurston is the best Half back in the World ( he's not English), so your theory is nonsense.

I think your just jealous as a roosters fan that Burgess is far superior than Sonny Bill, stop being so biased and stop lying to yourself.

And how do you know who watches or doesn't watch the NRL games Mr know all?

The Hooker is still a Forward though is he not? and packs into the Front Row.

Next a Lock will not be a Forward because many of them play in the Halves in SL, they are just bigger slower Stand offs really are they not.

Sam Burgess will be lucky not to be Crocked by the end of the season.
He is not the best Forward in the game in most good judges opinions.
He is not even the best English Forward in the NRL, Graham offers more to a team than "Slammin Sam"
He has had a good start to this season but its only round four.

And i suppose you see yourself as one of those good judges you talk about do you? I bow down to your superior knowledge o great one.

And any player will be lucky not to be crocked come the end of the season, just because he's had a couple of injury's you think he's the only one who is likely to be unfit for the World cup?

Plenty of experience with no it all fans, who not surprisingly don't even subscribe to the only channel that shows NRL in the UK. And the fact there are some top players that many on here wouldn't have even heard off. I did say Im not getting into this Burgess so get over it, and like the other guy stop taking it so personally. Clearly a nerve was touched. How is my theory nonsense, the UK fans might recognise those others as being the best in the position but none seem to get obsessed over like Burgess is doing at the moment.

How am I jealous??? SBW is alot better then Super League experts think he is, and that's the funny thing. Those who have actually seen all 4 Roosters games this season would have seen the massive improvement he has made in such a short space of time. How am I lying to myslef, I didn't say SBW was the best in the world, its just with people like you if you dont say that Burgess is the best by far, no one else comes anywhere near him, and you dare to have your own opinion your talking nonsense.

Keh