Sam Burgess confirms he won’t be on England backroom staff at World Cup
Sam Burgess has confirmed that he will not be a part of England’s backroom staff for this year’s World Cup in autumn.
Burgess, 33, is set to return to the South Sydney Rabbitohs as part of their coaching staff under boss Jason Demetriou.
He retired from the sport in 2019 due to injury, having made 270 first-grade appearances for South Sydney and Bradford. He also earned 24 caps for England and two for Great Britain.
The former international forward was reported to be joining Shaun Wane’s England staff for this year’s tournament. However, speaking on the latest BBC 5 Live Rugby League Podcast, Burgess confirmed he will not be working under Wane, but would like to in the future.
Sam Burgess addresses World Cup reports
“I’m great friends with Shaun Wane. He’s a great bloke and I really like his coaching philosophy,” Burgess told host Dave Woods.
“We’d initially talked about it, but since then I’ve been extremely busy. He’s been busy doing his things on his side of the world.
“We’ve just not been able to connect and make it work this time around.
“In the future, I’d love the chance to work with him. As a player, I’d have liked to have played under him. I liked his philosophy.
“It’s not to say I won’t (in the future), but this World Cup I won’t be working in a coaching role with England.”
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