By Shaun Wren
England Rugby League superstar Sam Burgess has publically announced he is switching
codes to Bath Rugby Club, in time for England kicking off the 2015 Rugby
World Cup!
Reports have confirmed the South Sydney
forward has signed a three-year deal worth an estimated £500,000 with Bath. Will
Stuart Lancaster be hoping to include the English forward in his World Cup squad?
Burgess has been a key figure for Australian NRL club, South
Sydney Rabbitohs since being signed by owner Russell Crowe back in 2010 and I
doubt he’ll have taken this decision to move lightly.
The agreement over the financial package has been completed – with a
compensation fee of £500,000 to be paid out to the Rabbitohs and Burgess will be at the Rec from October.
So the question on everyone's mind is, what type of player will Bath get?
Someone who can bring in a solid crash ball as well as a habit to
score tries; so having Mike Ford and his rugby league roots, Sam might feel at
home.
There has been talk of the 25-year-old to play centre like other
former rugby league players Joel Tomkins of Saracens, but I think his
versatility as a player will enable him to play either inside centre or on the
wing.
I think Slammin' Sam will be a huge
hit for England Rugby Union and potentially he could be this country’s answer
to Sonny Bill Williams. Can you imagine both Sam Burgess and Manu Tuilagi starting in the centre for England in the RWC 2015?
They would be unstoppable.
