Ford slams 'Pied Piper' Burgess
League star Burgess made the move to rugby union and signed with Bath in 2014, and went on to play for England at the recent World Cup before reverting back to Rugby League.
In a recent interview with the Daily Telegraph, Ford admitted that he was very disappointed with the decision and explained that Burgess made the call because he wasn't enjoying the same status he had in league.
“Sam came to tell me that he wasn’t sure if he was enjoying union enough, that he missed his family, that he had a short career and that he wanted to make sure that he enjoyed it, ” said Ford.
“I told him that he was just suffering a World Cup hangover and to go away and think about it all.
“He did, and he went back to league.
“He was used to being the Pied Piper figure in league and maybe he figured it would soon be the same in union. It wasn’t.
“Sam realised that it was a major project, and perhaps that he might never get the recognition he enjoyed in league.
“So, back he went. It was very disappointing,” he added.
Ford said that in his opinion Burgess should not have played at the World Cup, and certainly not at inside centre after playiing most of his rugby for Bath on the flank.
“No, Sam wasn’t ready (for the World Cup).
“He shouldn’t have been picked in the World Cup squad in the first place.
“He couldn’t get in our team at centre and there he was starting against Wales,” he said.
Ford said that the RFU 'lost control' of the signing, and with it a say in where he should play for Bath.
"If there had ever been a share between Union and club, then we might not have signed Sam as we didn't ever see him as a centre that would suit our style of play," said Ford.
"England lost control of the signing of Sam and, with it, a direct say in where he would play.
"For us, he was a back-row forward. He wouldn't have got in our midfield, where we had Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph.
"Of course, he did play there for us at the start, but that was because J?J [Joseph] was a surprise call-up for the Six Nations. But for the last eight games of the season, Sam was in the back row for us, including the Premiership final," he said.
