Look on the Bath ru forums. Their gutted

No I agree Bath are pretty innocent in all this. They've not done anything wrong, but basically looking like they've been used by England RU and then been left to mop up the mess the National team made and having their coach and owner coming out trying to say Sam's going to see out his contract only for him to leave straight after has made them look silly.



I would imagine the relationship between England RU and Bath at the moment is pretty frosty as a result of what's gone on. Aren't Bath the club linked with Watkins? If so and if it again came from England urging them to sign an RL player that they could throw into the National side then I'd imagine Bath will have a few reservations now about such a deal.



As for Watkins, I hope he sees out the majority or even all of his career at Leeds. But if he wants to test himself in the NRL then fair enoughto the guy. But for the love of god stay away from RU like your life depended on it lad.

It would be a hell of a lot easier for Watkins to make a good impact at RU than Sam. As a Leeds fan obviously would want him to stay with us

But if he left it would make no odds to me be it NRL or RU. I think from memory he has a young family and a partner not so keen to go down under. It depends what motivates someone. Rather than seeing the negative of how Sam was treated may see the positives of others who have made it and the chance to play on a very big stage internationally

What others recently though? Jason Robinson is about it.



Remember it'd be with England RU, as great a talent as SBW is and even though he's been successful with NZ, even he couldn't have polished the turd that was England.

England issue was poor coaches, they have some good players they had a poor World Cup but I am sure they will be fine in future.



I suppose it depends what you class as successful. I would suggest Chris Ashton has had a decent career in Union

Kyle Eastmond, a guy who spent a proper amount of time in RU to be experienced enough for World Cup selection in a position that he wasn't forced into like Burgess.



Didn't get picked for the World Cup with Burgess shoe horned in instead.

I'm surprised he's going now, but glad he is.



Hopefully RU clubs will be less likely to target RL players - this is easily the biggest misfire in the signing of RL players since RU went pro. There will also never again be any agreement, tacit or otherwise, to fast track any converts into the England RU team. Without that carrot RU only really looks attractive from a money perspective.



In the end though the main reason for being glad to see him back in RL is that he is a world class RL player.

I'm sad that he didn't prove himself in the game. Part of which was out off his control. I think in years to come he will be seen as a flop. The fact he was mistreated will get forgotten by the RU media.



The other part of me is happy that he is back in the game he was built for. He would have been good at union, excelled even. But the game could never really have fully utilised him, as there was not a position in the game which suits his skillset like it does in league

Couldn't care less what a union fans think. Most comments are only from international RU fans anyway, and they know nothing about the sport.

To be fair, most Union fans comments I've seen have been well balanced and generally not blaming Burgess himself.



Big fat lolz at Mike Ford though.

Shontayne Hape, Big Les