Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Fri Dec 05, 2014 9:25 pm  

Big Sam is playing again in Montpellier tonight. Bath winning 30-0 on 63 minutes.

Another messy, torrid, slow affair, currently being dominated by idiotic props slowing down the scrum, and terrible handling. One decent try so far. Yes, before anyone points it out, I know it's raining and muddy.

Sam hasn't had the ball yet, but is throwing his weight around to good effect, although he's aiming a little high with his tackles, in fact they've just pulled play back a ridiculous amount to penalise a challenge he made last Tuesday.

*Edit* - finally got the ball in hand on 72 mins, kept his legs pumping, hard to put down and was looking for non-existent support again. He's even made a kick! I counted 3 tackles, 1 run, 1 kick and 1 clean-out.

Must have a little man-crush on Sam Burgess to have sat through that.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Fri Dec 05, 2014 9:57 pm  

That's two games of Union now and Sam has looked happy playing in both of them.

Moonies need to quit whining and just let go.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:00 pm  

William Eve wrote:

That's two games of Union now and Sam has looked happy playing in both of them.

Moonies need to quit whining and just let go.

There are members of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification on here?

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:06 pm  

the artist wrote:

burgess named on the bench against montpellier tonight

A dire kick-fest in the rain in a two-thirds empty soccer stadium.

Had to sit through 50 minutes of that 'till Sam got on for the last half hour.

Poor, poor Bemused Sam. Standing around most of the time having to watch scrum after scrum after scrum after scrum after penalty after scrum ..... Guess he expended more energy in one minute of a Souths training session than in 30 minutes of that.

Counted 2 tackles, one carry and one clearing kick(!) by Sam.

Must be wondering already what he's got himself mixed up with. Top bloke though; won't let it get his spirits down. It's a short career though. The money compensation aside though, he might start thinking another 4 years intense rugby in the NRL and with England might have been a better fulfilment of his talents.

Still wish him all the best though.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:28 pm  

gutterfax wrote:

....it's just that to date, league players = union backs and no matter what you say, until the actual facts say different, I am correct.......

Errrmm.... Rocky Elsom? Wycliff Palau? Brad Thorn? Even Nathan Hines played RL until he was 19 ffs. These are facts.

And please... save us the explanation that some of these guys may have played for their school rugby union team or whatever.... Burgess is a freak compared to these guys. If they can do it, then he easily can.

That said, Burgess has no need to try to get into the england union team in the forwards - he will stroll in as a back, simply because he is miles ahead of what they already have.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Sat Dec 06, 2014 2:06 am  

He must be laughing his arus off at the amount they are paying him to stand around doing nothing!

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Sat Dec 06, 2014 7:45 am  

Celt wrote:

Errrmm.... Rocky Elsom? Wycliff Palau? Brad Thorn? Even Nathan Hines played RL until he was 19 ffs. These are facts.

And please... save us the explanation that some of these guys may have played for their school rugby union team or whatever.... Burgess is a freak compared to these guys. If they can do it, then he easily can.

That said, Burgess has no need to try to get into the england union team in the forwards - he will stroll in as a back, simply because he is miles ahead of what they already have.

elsom has only ever played professional union and palu played union before st george. Thorn is a freak.....and the vast majority of cross code league to union players are backs......Burgess will quite possibly do well, but if it were as easy as you think, everyone would be doing it.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Sat Dec 06, 2014 8:32 am  

spot on gutters, hape and farrell snr show its not that easy but with the springbok leouw mentoring him , hopefully he'll do well

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Sat Dec 06, 2014 8:41 am  

5 hit ups and 7 tackles a game, how hard could it possibly be?

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Sat Dec 06, 2014 9:05 am  

galliant wrote:

spot on gutters, hape and farrell snr show its not that easy but with the springbok leouw mentoring him , hopefully he'll do well

Surely the fact that Hape and Farrell were both good enough to play union for England suggests precisely the opposite? I don't disagree with the point you're trying to make btw but the truth is that league converts have, on the whole, been fairly successful.