Sam Burgess announced earlier in the week that - with immediate effect - he would be departing Bath and rugby union in favour of a return to rugby league and his former side the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Bath were rumoured to have treated the player pretty harshly upon being told of his decision, not allowing Burgess to see his teammates and say his goodbyes.
Saturday's The Times and in particular former England international Paul Ackford were similarly harsh. An arresting front page of the sports section declared 'good riddance' to the convert.
What a disgraceful article by Paul Ackford in @thetimes hang your head in shame. pic.twitter.com/t4owbZLgTS
— Jim Mills (@millsjim44) November 7, 2015
Inside, Ackford accuses Burgess of 'hubris' for believing he could master the new code in a year and bemoans that the 26-year-old was selected for the World Cup to the detriment of others such as Luther Burrell and Kyle Eastmond.
He also - jokingly - suggested and the RFU may try and convert a 'Gaelic hurler' next.
So, Sam Burgess is off back to Sydney, rugby league and the Rabbitohs. Will Greenwood and Sonny Bill Williams are “sad”, Jeremy Guscott believes that “everyone in the world is allowed to change their mind”. I say: good riddance...
...Who or what can England expect next? An Aussie rules guy, an NFL practitioner? A Gaelic hurler or two? No previous experience necessary. All you need is a bucketful of braggadocio and the gullibility of a sport afraid to say ENOUGH. Emperor’s new clothes? It’s rugby union’s favourite fairytale.
Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
