Ex-Bradford Bulls and South Sydney Rabbitohs star Sam Burgess will NOT be taking part in a top coaching set-up come the end of the year.
Burgess, who is currently coaching the Orara Valley Axemen in Group 2 of bush rugby league in Australia, will not be taking up a role alongside Shaun Wane for this year’s World Cup.
That is despite the former hulking forward entering talks with Wane at the beginning of the year with a potential view to signing on ahead of the tournament.
“I’m great friends with Shaun Wane – he’s a great bloke and I really like his coaching philosophy,” Burgess said on the BBC 5 Live podcast.
“We’d initially talked about it, but since then I’ve been extremely busy and 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.”
After a successful time with the Axemen – whom he has led to the minor premiership in Group 2 and taken them to a home semi-final clash – Burgess believes he has what it takes to become a major hit back at Redfern with Souths in 2023.
“I’m confident I’ll be able to add value in what Souths are paying me to do, to be an assistant coach,” Burgess told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“I’ve learnt a lot in a short space of time with the Orara Valley Axemen [in Group 2]. We got the team back on top and now we are in a grand final, next weekend.
“Building a club from scratch is quite an experience and I’ve been doing a lot of work on myself. I’ve done it to be a better person and to be the father to my kids that I want to be.”
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