Returning rugby league superstar Sam Burgess has opened up about Bath, rugby union and his decision to return to Australia and continue his NRL career.

Writing for the UK’s Daily Mail, Burgess went in-depth and didn’t hide from anything but said rugby league was the game “in his heart”.

 
THE DECISION

“My decision to leave Bath and move back to Australia was for personal reasons, but it was also because I wanted to spend the rest of my career playing the game that’s in my heart.

“Rugby league is in my heart. I’m looking forward to getting back to Sydney, where I’ll be with my family and playing for the Rabbitohs alongside my brothers again.”

 
THE WINDOW

“Part of me is disappointed to be leaving. Everyone is saying I’ve taken the easy option but it would have been easier to stay and play on in union. I could have just kept playing at six for Bath, but I believe it would have taken about 18 months for me to break into the England team in that position — and my contract is up in about 18 months. In sport we have a very limited window in which to compete at the top level and I didn’t want to see those 18 months go by without the same excitement and enthusiasm as the previous 12.”

 
TRANSFER FEE

“We didn’t actually plan for it to happen as quickly as it did. We were looking towards Christmas as the time for me to leave, but then the transfer fee got paid and after that it was out of my hands. I trained on Tuesday, expecting to play the following weekend, but then everything got sorted overnight and my services were no longer required.”

 
NOT TELLING HIS RUGBY TEAM-MATES

“I wanted to go in and see the team, to get my point across, but Stuart Hooper, our captain, said he didn’t think I’d be well received there, which was fair enough — if that’s how he felt. I wanted to go and say goodbye, not just as a team-mate but as a friend, but that didn’t happen. I’ve not been back in there, but I’ve spoken to guys away from the club.”

 
THE WORLD CUP

“To get in that 31-man squad, I had to work so hard. To crack it was really, really tough but I loved that. I made it into the team as a 12 and I really felt that I fully deserved to be there. I think a lot of people outside the England camp had an agenda against both England and in some circumstances, me. Certain ex-players had an agenda and sections of the media had an agenda, too. I also think certain coaches not involved with England had an agenda.

“Slowly but surely, when you are trying to get support within the team and the voices from outside with an agenda are so strong, it’s too powerful. No matter what I did, I always felt that I was fighting a losing battle.”

 
SOUTH SYDNEY

“I’ve been in contact with Madge (Michael Maguire, Rabbitohs coach) and Russell (Crowe, Rabbitohs co-owner) since I’ve been here, from day one. Yes, I spoke to Madge the day after we lost to Australia and yes, I watched the Grand Final that morning — of course I did, because I love rugby league. I sat at breakfast, watching the final on my phone. It was a bloody exciting game.

“In rugby league, I used to get to certain times in the game when I was completely, physically gone. You feel like you are out on your feet, with the ball being in play for so long and my point of difference at times in league was being able to beat that, mentally, and help a few of the other boys get through it as well.

“That’s what I enjoyed in rugby league; getting to that tough period as a player and getting through it.

“Looking back, that’s what makes me love the game so much; the actual physical battle of it. Yeah, union is tough, there are tough parts of it, but I never found myself reaching that point. League took me to places I’d never been before in games but I never found that in union.”