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'I read social media posts saying stuff like I should never wear a rugby shirt again - it's all bollocks'
Freddie Burns is buzzing. New season, renewed targets, old friends. Ten months ago, Champions Cup opening weekend was woundingly traumatic, the effervescent entertainer having the life sucked out of him by his infamous gaffe of losing the ball over the Toulouse try line while celebrating that he was about to score.
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Now comes confirmation that European opening weekend next term will be a rumbustious Burns family affair at the Rec, a chance to go head-to-head against younger brother Billy. Four years separate the siblings in age, Freddie turning 29 last May compared to Billy blowing out his 25th birthday candles a month later.
Each will be at their devilish best to try and gain an upper hand on November 16. However, away from that 80 minutes when they will play against each other like sworn enemies, the admiration Freddie has for Billy is infectious.
Kid brother didn’t have to follow Freddie’s grass-is-greener-outside-Kingsholm philosophy, a 2014 tactic that took him to Leicester for three seasons before hooking up with Bath in 2017. However, Billy’s gut instinct told him to do likewise and a maiden season in Belfast has just seen him coming into his own as a more consistently accomplished out-half.
“I really proud of him,” said Freddie to RugbyPass about a relationship where they have gone from living in each other’s pockets to living in different countries. “I always said there is tipping points in players’ careers: to ask to leave Gloucester with a year left in his contract, almost foreseeing what happened with (Danny) Cipriani coming into the squad and then starting.
“He has gone over there (to Ireland) when right now he could be second choice to Cipriani and rightly so by the way Cirpiani played last year, but he could be a very unhappy rugby player now.
“He saw an opportunity and Ulster offered him that opportunity and he has taken it. He has really blossomed over there into a great, experienced player. They are a great team to be with and I’m really looking forward to playing them this year.
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“The best thing about him being over there is the fact that I can fully support him. When he was at Gloucester you wanted him to do well but you wanted Gloucester to lose, so now he is over there and I can support him.
? | @BathRugby will start their 2019/20 Heineken @ChampionsCup campaign at home against @UlsterRugby on Saturday 16th November.
— Bath Rugby (@bathrugby) August 23, 2019
“We have drawn each other in Europe and that will be a couple of days on the drink for the Burns family. A great occasion for us to play against each other in the best competition in the world.”
There was a time last autumn, though, when the Champions Cup was more like the worst event in the world for Burns. His incredible error against Toulouse was oxygen for the multiple keyboard warriors who love nothing more than ridiculing people when they are down.
Resilience eventually got him through the ordeal and he has no qualms now relieving the arduous tale, patting himself on the back for being able to have the character to stubbornly bounce back from quite a scarring escapade.
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Five minutes to go…
Chance to win the game…"Oh he's dropped it!"
A brutal moment for Bath star Freddie Burns ? pic.twitter.com/K7S578Rdwx
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) October 13, 2018
“You can go as deep as you want about it. In life, in rugby, things aren’t always going to go the way you want them to and you’re going to be dealt some pretty s*** hands.
“That (error) was probably my own doing but you make a decision, you either be a victim or be a survivor and I decided to be strong, to just crack on and bounce back and I feel like I have done that well.
“Obviously there is added incentive this year now being back in that competition to right the wrongs, but I have played over 200 top-flight games so I’m not one going to let the split second of a poor decision and a mistake affect me.
“Does it hang over me a little bit? Of course it does. It was a massive mistake on my part but like I say, you make a decision to front up and get on with it or sort of fade away. I’m happy with how I responded,” he said, going on to acknowledge how mental health has fast become a hot topic in rugby.
“Obviously, the Kearnan Myall article has come out recently and stuff like that. There is massive mental strain on professional athletes in whatever sport, mostly rugby. It tends to take a lot of mental strength for people to take the pitch and bounce back.
“I guess I said it when I was on Rugby Tonight on BT, I said if the story of me dropping the ball or if the story to come out of it is resilience and mental strength, then I’m all for it. You have just got to stand strong, hopefully show younger kids that it isn’t always going to go your way but it isn’t the end of the world.
"You could see that it hurt him…"
"This is probably the time we need to rally around him."
Todd Blackadder offers support for Freddie Burns after his mistake against Toulouse. pic.twitter.com/ZjBGxNTj8C
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) October 13, 2018
“I read social media posts saying stuff like I should never wear a rugby shirt again and all this stuff – it’s all bollocks. You are always in control and I have just chosen to take that route,” he continued, moving on to grasp the nettle that is a seemingly unaccountable social media.
“I have always said if you’re on social media you take the good with the bad. I’m quite active on social media. It’s an aspect of society that I enjoy, but you are going to take your fair amount of flak, especially when you make a mistake like that (against Toulouse).
“People should be made more accountable on social media. I know there has been a lot this week with (Marcus) Rashford and (Paul) Pogba, stuff with the (Manchester United) penalty miss and all that kind of thing. I hear there is stuff that these companies can do to make people more accountable, but if you’re going to be on social media you take the good with the bad and you just roll with the punches.”
In hindsight, he suggests his failure to ground the ball for that European try was symptomatic of how his club agonisingly fell short of what they hoped to achieve last season, their Premiership campaign ending with them finishing sixth on points difference after they wound up level on points with Northampton in fourth and Harlequins in fifth.
“First and foremost I don’t think that we’re a million miles away. Last year we ended up sneaking into that Champions Cup place but ended up joint-points for fourth. I see our biggest improvement just being a bit more ruthless and taking more of the opportunities.
“I feel a lot of people will look at our games last year and say that we lost those games in the last 10 minutes, but I see them as the fact that we didn’t take opportunities in the first 70 to seal the game up. We have got to bring in a ruthless edge.
“This squad is on a journey. With Stuart (Hooper) now at the helm it is going to be a continuation, it’s not completely fresh start so it is a journey we’re all excited to be on. When you look around the squad, and I know every Premiership squad will be saying this, but the players that we have got here, the young lads who will step up while the World Cup players are away, are more than capable, so it’s a real exciting time to be a Bath player.
“It is going to be unbelievably competitive, even more so this year with the start being when the World Cup is on. You’re going to see squad depth, strength and the power of peoples’ pathway systems and how they put people thorough the academy system and promote.
“It’s going to be another competitive year and I feel like the teams that make the most of these first four lot five weeks will be the ones who will go on and succeed in the season.
“Bath is a club that deserves to be up there… well actually I will take that back, no one deserves to be anywhere but the supporters should definitely be supporting a club that is up there competing for honours every year and we have probably let them down over the last couple of years.
“It’s time we paid back the faith that they and the city have shown us and really get ourselves up into that top four and compete in Europe as well.”
It's almost time…
2?8?.0?8?.1?9? #ItsInOurFabric pic.twitter.com/EWL670qmsa
— Bath Rugby (@bathrugby) August 23, 2019
He hopes the extended pre-season will be their springboard to better things. “We’re training hard, training has been enjoyable. There has been a few changes around the club, which so far have gone really well, but also as a player it’s a s*** time of year where you have got to train so much without a game.
“We’re getting itchy feet now. Looking forward to the start of the season, but we have still got an opportunity to use this extended pre-season to make big strides and make sure that we hit the ground running coming the start of the Premiership.”
WATCH: In the first episode of the RugbyPass Rugby Pads series, Jim Hamilton visits Freddie Burns to have a look around and take a dip in his hot tub
Comments on RugbyPass
I hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
18 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
18 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
18 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
1 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
18 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
18 Go to commentsCouldnt agree more. SA sides need to show more committment and really have a go at the Champions Cup. Its quite possibly the most prestigious title in Europe and SA sides need to respect that prestige and serve up their best. EPCR needs to do more to ensure that sides from South Africa and sides travelling to and from SA have a better chance in this competition. The Bulls were put in a really difficult position of having to travel there and back in one week. One could argue that this is what the SA sides signed up for and that La Rochelle didnt complain or send out weakened sides despite having to travel to SA and back and play on successive weekends but surely the situation is also unfair on La Rochelle as well and so EPCR needs to think about successive gameweeks and the travel effect of the competition
18 Go to commentsI hadn’t watched much Canes this season but sat through a replay of that Chiefs game with no distractions. That pack is beastly. I really like the look of Iose. He loves the tough stuff. The first Quins clip may be the best I have even seen for a TH driving his opposite into oblivion. i need to take your word for the contribution of Walker, but Collier there with a straight back pushing up from under was a lovely thing to see. Have you fallen in love with Baxter also, Nick? I think Stuart Barnes may have written his column about him recently, naked. He positively frothed.
15 Go to commentsSmart guy. I wish he was running the RFU or something!
3 Go to comments