No doubt in my mind Burgess was given a very strong signal he’d be selected for the RWC when he crossed codes. We can’t blame him for that and taking the opportunity for selection which was presented. As above this was an RFU issue and in particular the management team. It’s very difficult to not see Andy Farrell as being at the centre of two of the biggest failings at the RWC, namely the whole Burgess saga and the selection of Owen at fly half after the first game when he had (quite rightly) not been first choice in the run up.

As for the centres being a problem, yes I think there was a selection / consistency problem to find the best combination but IMO we had a significant number of talented players to chose from with one in Tuilagi who ruled himself out.

@aa yes saw the photo earlier, very classy and a poignant reminder of the circumstances he and his wife where killed leaving their baby daughter.

Or do they have the attitude that RL is a completely different sport to RU, that just happens to have the same origins and shares a ball?

It isn’t that. Its that he’s a very good 6 playing out of position and the unbending strategy of including him there – amongst other things – highlights a failing of putting the right people in the right place to do the right job to the best of their ability.

Better to have taken the flak if benching a Captain that the “laughing stock” headlines that grace the sports pages this morning.

Although, they haven’t – show me a headline that says “Sam Burgess lost the RWC for England”

We’ve seen the reports so far, I reckon there much more to be leaked come regarding the rest of the setup.

Look a Clive’s damning of SL this morning…

Screw sir clive, he is a total bell end, nearly ruined the Lions, ran away to football and now scrapes a living being sensational in the press. complete cocknocker

Read pretty much anything by Mick Cleary or Paul Hayward in the Telegraph. For instance:

Sam Burgess Gamble

Which neatly finishes with:

Or how about this charming article and this line?

And let’s just ignore Gordon D’Arcy’s completely OTT shrieking.

I have just read that D’Arcy article,what is it exactly that he says that isn’t true? Face it,he was shit and almost a vanity project, an example of how all-powerful the RFU was,they could snap their fingers and the biggest English star in the league would come. Folk rattle on about how he could have been an international 6,yet he wasn’t good enough for his club side at 6.

That first article linked clearly states

That to me is pointing the finger at the management. But you also have to realise that he did nowt of note in that game, all I can remember him doing is one of the worst kicks in international rugby I’ve ever seen.

Sam who?

Seriously though, has he given any reasons for going back to the Sydney rabbits? Perhaps underestimated the technical challenges involved with the switch to Union. Perhaps was hacked off with the England management – start him one game, then drop him completely from the match day squad. Surely for the last pool game and looking to the future they should have given him as much game time as possible. Until he explains, it doesn’t reflect too well on him with the timing.

Obviously Burgess should not be blamed personally for England’s failure. Lancaster has to take the cop for this. The justifications for including him in the world cup squad were laughable including, “he has played a lot of the time (at Bath) at 12.” So after 80 minutes club experience the lad is asked to line up at inside centre against Wales.

BOD was on the BT Sport show Monday night and when he listed the pros and cons of Burgess staying/going he said it was a “no brainer”.

All the Union players who criticised the whole fiasco were slamming the decisions made by the management, not the man himself. The views from the likes of Tindall, D’Arcy and Carling had some authority.

D’Arcy’s piece was actually really interesting as well as being spot on.

It’s a testament to Burgess that he managed to not look completely f***ing useless at centre – although playing next to Brad Barritt would help.

Overriding Bath on the positioning of Burgess was one of the few genius management decisions this England team made… I mean, where else is he likely to see less action on the pitch aside from playing outside Farrell 😆

Exeter humped Leicester 😆 that makes me happy

Oh god, they’re playing the Ospreys in the Euro cup next week. On current form the Os will be hammered.

Anyone else seen that Joe Lunch Boy is being tipped as a candidate for SPOTY?

Teh lolz!

Burgess got a right hammering in the weekend papers. You know perhaps you could have done things differently when your fellow team mates tell you to do one.

AA – Laidlaw should win something for his refreshing no nonsense approach to kicking.

Does that sum up the England team in one succinct sentence? 😆

Bit unfair for a more reasoned take see here[/url].

Only just caught up with the weekend’s action… the refereeing wasn’t a great advert for the Pro 12 and I’m glad I watched it on catch up so could fast forward all the stoppages!