PAGES OF FANTASTIC WAYNE’S JUST AWE

Bennett’s head start for Burgess

SAM BURGESS would consider a career as a head coach, after being inspired by former England boss Wayne Bennett.

The pair worked together at international and club level, before Burgess was forced to retire with serious shoulder issues at the end of last year.

He has since moved onto Bennett’s backroom staff at South Sydney, working as a defensive coach and with the team’s leadership group, alongside roles with the Rabbitohs’ recruitment board and as a TV pundit.

Now Burgess is not ruling out a permanent move into coaching at some stage in the future.

He told the ‘House of Rugby’ podcast: “Wayne is without doubt the most amazing man I’ve ever met in my life – he just blows me out of the park on a daily basis.

“Wayne’s so phenomenal – not just coach we see but also the man that he is.

“As a player I always thought I could be a reasonable coach. I knew how to motivate people, I knew how to influence people and make them think different things.

“Wayne has helped me do that a bit better. Now I’ve stepped away from the game I wonder if I want to get involved in that volatile the environment just yet. Maybe I don’t, but maybe my passion will mean I want to get back there in 12 or 18 months’ time.

“Naturally, I think ‘yes,’ because I’ve been coaching at South doing the defence and I love it, it’s my thing.

“For now I’m not making any big decisions but Wayne gave me some sound advice in the middle of last year.

“He said he’d always help me with decision making throughout my whole life.

“It’s great to have somebody like that in your corner.”

Burgess has also revealed that surgeons have told him he needs a shoulder replacement, but that he has rejected it so far because of his age.

He played through the pain barrier during the second half of 2019 before pulling out of the Great Britain tour that Bennett led, and then hanging up his boots permanently.

Burgess added: “It’s awful. I can play golf and get around the course and that’s probably as good as it gets for me at the minute.

“They’re saying that they want to do a shoulder replacement but I’m only 31 years old and don’t want to do that just yet. We’ll see how things go.”

■ (left)