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Sam Burgess says he was left with no choice but to walk away from rugby league after succumbing to a left shoulder injury.
The South Sydney captain confirmed his immediate retirement from the NRL on Wednesday afternoon, bringing to an end a glittering career.
The 30-year-old England Test star had long battled shoulder issues but the discovery of an irreparable condition followed surgery earlier this season and it became progressively worse.
“This decision was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in my life, however the decision was out of my hands essentially,” Burgess said.
“I am no longer able to be myself day-in, day-out on the training field and consequently the playing field.
“I have loved absolutely every minute: the highs, the lows, the grand final, coming home, my injuries, my dates with the judiciary.
“It really has been a fantastic ride.”
Burgess will go down as one of the NRL’s great forwards.
He played 182 games for Souths and was Clive Churchill Medallist despite a debilitating facial fracture in their drought-breaking 2014 grand final win.
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Rugged and fearless in the middle, he was the Rabbitohs’ leading forward from his NRL debut in 2010 until the end.
Apart from a brief switch to the 15-man code which culminated in representing England at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Burgess was named Souths’ player of the year in 2014, 2016 and 2017.
He also played 88 games for Bradford in the English Super League.
“He was one of the drawcards for me in coming to coach at South Sydney,” Souths and England mentor Wayne Bennett said.
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“I was lucky enough to coach Sam in the All Stars game in 2010. I’d had heard so much about this Englishman that I had to see him for myself.
“Then I had the opportunity to coach him with England and I was hoping to coach him again this year with Great Britain.
“I’m glad to have played a sma ll role in his career and I feel blessed that he has been part of mine. I know he has made the right decision.”
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Burgess’ imminent exit with three years to run on his multi-million dollar deal presents questions about South Sydney’s salary cap, given his retirement is based on medical grounds.
The Rabbitohs are yet to formally request dispensation but it’s believed they will given their claim it is a new injury only discovered this year.
The fact he has retired before the beginning of the next rugby league year on November 1 could mean his entire salary is struck from the 2020 cap if their application is successful.
Meanwhile the announcement will leave a leadership void at Redfern.
Greg Inglis had to call time on his career earlier this year, while fellow former captain John Sutton called it quits at the end of 2019.
Damien Cook, Cameron Murray and Adam Reynolds are expected to be the leading contenders to assume the role.
Dav id Fifita, Jai Arrow and Tyson Frizell have been mooted as back row replacements, all of them off contract at the end of 2020 and available to be approached from Friday.
SAM BURGESS CAREER:
* NRL Games: 182
* Tests: 26 (24 for England, 2 for Great Britain)
* Tries: 44
* Premierships: 1 (2014)
* 2013 RLIF prop of the year
* 2014 Clive Churchill Medallist
* 2014 Dally M lock of the year
* 2014 RLIF player of the year
* Three-times South Sydney player of the year (2014, 2016 and 2017)
* Rugby union Tests: 5 (including England’s 2015 World Cup campaign).
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Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments