I agree. But it would have taken him until the end of his contract to learn it.

There are two very distict groups of people in the RU world commenting on this.

First off are team mates and coaches of Sam. Not withstanding Mike Ford's rather small minded dig, all the comments made by his bath team mates suggest that he was well liked and appreciated in the dressing room. As a rule, modern players at the top level in union don't look down on their RL counterparts, they appreciate that they are hard working professionals like themselves.

The second group are RU journalists, ex players, and the people who go to RU internationals. I'm afraid most of these have a pre-1995 mentality still; they are, as Jon Wilkin succinctly put it, "dismissive of what rugby league has brought to their sport". Unfortunately they form a large part of the RU commentariat at the moment.

Eventually the journalists will be replaced by people who've grown up playing and watching RU after 1995, and the tone of journalism will become less tribal. But it will take a few years yet.

Theres a piece in the telegraph by Will Greenwood that I thought summed it up well. He basically says he thinks Sam would have made a great RU player but was let down by both his club and country. He actually states tha all the players left out had there chance and didn't make the grade and after the dust has settled have suddenly become great players in their own minds.

Burgess says in his interview after landing back in Oz that he spoke to Ford 4 weeks ago about wanting to go back.
There may well have been some back and forth, but Ford can't say it was a last minute change of heart.

He was playing the game with the press just like everyone else hoping it would all fall his way, but it didn't.

Even though he's had some ex players having a dig, though only a few, and Ford's comment in the press after he left, and coach and Captain Ford not wanting Burgess to say goodbye to the team before he left.......I think Burgess has been nothing but a gentleman and classy in his press conferences.
He hasn't slagged anyone off on Union. He hasn't slagged the game off.

I'm glad he has come back. They wasted their opportunity. It should keep them at arms length for a while.

Lancaster has stepped down #blameBurgess

In regard the Burgess - Lancaster relationship, I felt Lancaster did Burgess a disservice in a lot of ways, and that could have rebounded on him in part.

Clearly putting him in was a risk, but when he did put him in, and there was criticism after the Wales game, he needed to set up and defend him, or at least defend his decision.
He seemed to just go quiet and let Burgess take the heat.
Not leadership credentials and I'm sure in some ways led to RU losing Burgess

Did Mike Ford not have the guts to see out his contract at South Queensland crushers ?

Mike Ford's lad left Leicester for Bath so he could be closer to his family. The quitter.

no, his knee hurt because of the hard grounds, he was straight on a plane as soon as greg mackey retired at warrington.

It was worse than going quiet.

After the Wales game he stated that he saw Burgess as an impact player off the bench rather than a starter. This was just after starting him in the previous game.
After the Australia game he said it was ridiculous to play a player in one position at club level and another at international. this was after picking him at centre.
He stated Burgess needed game time and then dropped him for the dead rubber

Lancaster just leant the way of the press in every post match interview.

Samuel Burgess has just appeared on BBC World News. He was given a few minutes to explain himself, after the BBC presenter first noted the negative comments, including the fact that (the presenter claimed) the Bath team did not want to say goodbye to him.

Samuel Burgess's accent made listening to him a bit difficult. But he got across the point about rugby league having more passion and being closer to his heart. He was identified as a member of South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Samuel was interviewed at a press conference held at Sydney's world famous Kingsford Smith International Airport.

This news item must have been seen by millions of people worldwide, in rugby league markets as diverse as the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines, Fiji and Lebanon. We can only imagine the consequences of this coup for rugby league.

Yes Capdouze, I'm sure the interview was seen by millions world wide and will see a surge in interest for the game.

Meanwhile, on planet Earth.....

Just on Lancaster, seems to me there was a similar thing with that controversy over England kicking to the corner instead of attempting a penalty. Lancaster was asked who made the decision, and he said the captain did, but just left it hanging in the air. I'm no fan of Robshaw, but Lancaster hung him out to dry too; he should have backed his skipper to the hilt (in public, at least), and he signally failed to do that.

Who wrote Mike Ford's Wiki entry? Described as a rugby league "legend". I must have been asleep when he played the game!!

Does it mention he quit South Queensland Crushers after 1 season / 15 games too??

Funnily enough...

Prat of a reporter on itv news just now said Sam had slinked back to Australian rugby league, what a total a**hole, maybe if all of England's rugby union faults weren' t landed on his door then he may have been still playing for the kick and clap brigade,

Thank god he's back in league and away from the elitist e he's been playing

That guy next to Sam obviously had the stomach for Union...

burgess would have still left. Why stick around playing a game you dont really enjoy. He was offered a golden ticket of playing in a union world cup and he took it, never really enjoyed union, missed rugby league and realised that staying away for 3 years would be a crazy decision.

D'oh, they've taken it off now! haha

Sounds like South Sydney are going to struggle to get the NRL to register him for 2016 due to salary cap. Wonder if he'll end up doing 12 months at Leeds Rhinos after all. Mr Hetherington currently in Australia

This might have been the idea after all to get him in the right shape for rugby league we will sign you SAM but we can not get rid of the players we have signed till next year so sign on loan for leeds

Could be awkward for SAM if a bit of resentment of players leaving develops. Probably better if SAM plays on a very low salary for next season and let Russel Crowe drip feed him pocket money, Can't see SAM being short of a few aussie dollars, fans on the Rabbitoh's forum already seeing the negative side of things.