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| Sam Burgess switching codes does not mean rugby league is under siege | Sam Burgess switching codes does not mean rugby league is under siege |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The England full-back Sam Tomkins says absent team-mate and international player of the year Sam Burgess is leaving for rugby union in search of a “buzz” more than a tougher sporting challenge. | The England full-back Sam Tomkins says absent team-mate and international player of the year Sam Burgess is leaving for rugby union in search of a “buzz” more than a tougher sporting challenge. |
| Rugby league’s Four Nations kicks off in Brisbane on Saturday in somewhat curious circumstances when England take on Samoa and Australia meet New Zealand before an anticipated Suncorp Stadium crowd of up to 50,000. England’s Burgess, New Zealand’s Sonny Bill Williams and Australia’s Jarryd Hayne each played a full season of NRL but have chosen other sports in preference to the international series. For Burgess and Williams it is rugby union, for Hayne it is training alone in Los Angeles in the hope of winning an NFL contract. | Rugby league’s Four Nations kicks off in Brisbane on Saturday in somewhat curious circumstances when England take on Samoa and Australia meet New Zealand before an anticipated Suncorp Stadium crowd of up to 50,000. England’s Burgess, New Zealand’s Sonny Bill Williams and Australia’s Jarryd Hayne each played a full season of NRL but have chosen other sports in preference to the international series. For Burgess and Williams it is rugby union, for Hayne it is training alone in Los Angeles in the hope of winning an NFL contract. |
| Samoa’s best player at the 2013 World Cup, Anthony Milford, was in Australia’s training squad but when he missed the cut, he was unavailable for the island nation even though the rules would have permitted him to play. But the New Zealand Warrior Tomkins – also a rugby union target – says league is not under siege. | Samoa’s best player at the 2013 World Cup, Anthony Milford, was in Australia’s training squad but when he missed the cut, he was unavailable for the island nation even though the rules would have permitted him to play. But the New Zealand Warrior Tomkins – also a rugby union target – says league is not under siege. |
| “I think the NRL’s a great stage to play on,” he said. “The reason I left the Super League is I wanted to challenge myself on a bigger stage and against tougher competition. Burgess is going to a competition that’s not as tough. But the idea of playing in the rugby union World Cup … England rugby union, they can play against Fiji and fill Twickenham with 80,000 people. That’s the buzz there.” | “I think the NRL’s a great stage to play on,” he said. “The reason I left the Super League is I wanted to challenge myself on a bigger stage and against tougher competition. Burgess is going to a competition that’s not as tough. But the idea of playing in the rugby union World Cup … England rugby union, they can play against Fiji and fill Twickenham with 80,000 people. That’s the buzz there.” |
| Burgess inspired South Sydney to their first Premiership victory in 43 years this month. England or Great Britain last beat Australia in a series the year before South’s previous title, during the 1970 Ashes series. The England squad were reminded how long the Australian epoch has run when the 1994 Kangaroos were special guests at the player of the year awards lunch on Thursday and highlights of that series were played at length on a big screen. | Burgess inspired South Sydney to their first Premiership victory in 43 years this month. England or Great Britain last beat Australia in a series the year before South’s previous title, during the 1970 Ashes series. The England squad were reminded how long the Australian epoch has run when the 1994 Kangaroos were special guests at the player of the year awards lunch on Thursday and highlights of that series were played at length on a big screen. |
| For Sam Burgess’s brothers, South’s giants George and Tom, the opportunity is there to break enough droughts in two months to be accredited as rain-bringing mystics. “We’re all fully aware of how long it has been,” Tomkins said. “We’re here for silverware. There’s no doubt about it. We’re not here to make up the numbers. We’ve come second or third too many times now so, yeah, we want a trophy.” | For Sam Burgess’s brothers, South’s giants George and Tom, the opportunity is there to break enough droughts in two months to be accredited as rain-bringing mystics. “We’re all fully aware of how long it has been,” Tomkins said. “We’re here for silverware. There’s no doubt about it. We’re not here to make up the numbers. We’ve come second or third too many times now so, yeah, we want a trophy.” |
| The Leeds winger Ryan Hall added: “It’s been 44 years. It might be unknown this side of the world but we talk about it every year, it going longer and longer since we last won something. | The Leeds winger Ryan Hall added: “It’s been 44 years. It might be unknown this side of the world but we talk about it every year, it going longer and longer since we last won something. |
| “It means a great deal to us. Hopefully this is the year. With this bunch of players we’ve got, I think we deserve recognition on the international scale. There have been some new guys in the squad this year but the core of the group is quite similar. We’ve been together so long, we know each other so well so it’s about time we got something.” | “It means a great deal to us. Hopefully this is the year. With this bunch of players we’ve got, I think we deserve recognition on the international scale. There have been some new guys in the squad this year but the core of the group is quite similar. We’ve been together so long, we know each other so well so it’s about time we got something.” |
| Sean O’Loughlin’s thigh injury means James Graham will lead England on Saturday. This marks a measure of redemption for the Canterbury Bulldogs prop, who was omitted from coach Steve McNamara’s first World Cup team a year ago due to off-field ill-discipline. “It was frustrating more than anything but I’ve moved on,” said Graham, who now expects O’Loughlin to be the captain permanently and said he did not harbour ambitions regarding the position. | Sean O’Loughlin’s thigh injury means James Graham will lead England on Saturday. This marks a measure of redemption for the Canterbury Bulldogs prop, who was omitted from coach Steve McNamara’s first World Cup team a year ago due to off-field ill-discipline. “It was frustrating more than anything but I’ve moved on,” said Graham, who now expects O’Loughlin to be the captain permanently and said he did not harbour ambitions regarding the position. |
| At a media conference on the eve of the match, McNamara said Sam Burgess presented the team with their jerseys and he was not taking seriously reports linking his brother George to rugby union club Gloucester. | At a media conference on the eve of the match, McNamara said Sam Burgess presented the team with their jerseys and he was not taking seriously reports linking his brother George to rugby union club Gloucester. |
| The Samoa coach Matt Parish said he rated Tomkins as equally dangerous to any full-back in the game, and that had spent plenty of time schooling his men in how to contain England’s young hookers, Canberra-bound Josh Hodgson and Super League Man of Steel Daryl Clark. | The Samoa coach Matt Parish said he rated Tomkins as equally dangerous to any full-back in the game, and that had spent plenty of time schooling his men in how to contain England’s young hookers, Canberra-bound Josh Hodgson and Super League Man of Steel Daryl Clark. |
| Samoa have been hit with disciplinary problems of their own this week, with Reni Maituia, Tautai Moga and Sauaso Sue fined $10,000 each and dropped for their involvement in a brawl outside a Brisbane nightclub. | Samoa have been hit with disciplinary problems of their own this week, with Reni Maituia, Tautai Moga and Sauaso Sue fined $10,000 each and dropped for their involvement in a brawl outside a Brisbane nightclub. |
| England S Tomkins (New Zealand Warriors); J Charnley (Wigan), K Watkins (Leeds), M Shenton (Castleford), R Hall (Leeds); G Widdop (St George Illawarra), M Smith (Wigan); G Burgess (South Sydney), J Hodgson (Hull KR), J Graham (Canterbury Bulldogs, capt), L Farrell (Wigan), J Tomkins (Wigan), J Westerman (Hull). Interchange D Clark (Castleford), B Ferres (Huddersfield), T Burgess (South Sydney), C Hill (Warrington). | England S Tomkins (New Zealand Warriors); J Charnley (Wigan), K Watkins (Leeds), M Shenton (Castleford), R Hall (Leeds); G Widdop (St George Illawarra), M Smith (Wigan); G Burgess (South Sydney), J Hodgson (Hull KR), J Graham (Canterbury Bulldogs, capt), L Farrell (Wigan), J Tomkins (Wigan), J Westerman (Hull). Interchange D Clark (Castleford), B Ferres (Huddersfield), T Burgess (South Sydney), C Hill (Warrington). |
| Samoa T Simona (Wests Tigers); A Winterstein (North Queensland), R Leutele (Cronulla), J Leilua (Newcastle), D Vidot (Brisbane); B Roberts (Melbourne), K Stanley (St George Illawarra); S Tagataese (Cronulla), M Sio (New Zealand Warriors), D Fa’alogo (Newcastle, capt), F Pritchard (Canterbury Bulldogs), L Ah Mau (St George Illawarra), J McGuire (Brisbane). | |
| Interchange P Godinet (Wakefield), J Sene-Lefao (Manly), I Liu (Sydney Roosters), M Masoe (St Helens). | Interchange P Godinet (Wakefield), J Sene-Lefao (Manly), I Liu (Sydney Roosters), M Masoe (St Helens). |
| Kick-off Saturday 7am BST/4.30pm Australian time Venue Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |