Sam Burgess played in England for the Bradford Bulls in the Super League and in Australia for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL.
49 Facts About Sam Burgess
2.
The Rabbitohs won the 2014 NRL Premiership, the club's first in 43 years, and Burgess was named winner of the Clive Churchill Medal for man of the match in the Grand Final.
3.
In late 2014, Sam Burgess switched codes to play rugby union for Bath.
4.
Sam Burgess was called up to the England national team in August 2015, becoming a dual-code international, and was a member of England's squad for their unsuccessful 2015 Rugby Union World Cup campaign, before returning to rugby league for the 2016 NRL season.
5.
On 30 October 2019, Sam Burgess announced his retirement due to a shoulder injury.
6.
Sam Burgess was born on 14 December 1988 in Liversedge, Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England.
7.
Sam Burgess's late father, Mark Burgess, who died of motor neurone disease, was a rugby league footballer who played for Nottingham City, Rochdale Hornets, Dewsbury and Hunslet; while his mother, Julie, is a teacher, currently employed at The Scots College in Bellevue Hill, Sydney.
8.
Sam Burgess played his junior rugby for Hunslet Parkside, Dewsbury Moor and played for Liversedge Cricket Club.
9.
Sam Burgess made his Super League debut against Leeds in 2006 after already being dubbed by Shontayne Hape as "Great Britain's Sonny Bill".
10.
In 2007 Sam Burgess established himself as a first team regular.
11.
Sam Burgess made his Great Britain debut against New Zealand in the 1st test in October 2007, scoring a try.
12.
Sam Burgess played in the centenary match between the All Golds and Northern Union; he was awarded the Man of the match.
13.
Sam Burgess gained attention for his big hit on New Zealand prop Fuifui Moimoi during the Kiwis' 2007 tour when he was only 19 years old.
14.
South Sydney co-owner and A-list celebrity Russell Crowe persuaded Sam Burgess to choose his club over others that were competing for his signature, after inviting Sam Burgess and his mother to the set of Robin Hood, which he was filming in England at the time.
15.
Sam Burgess was selected to play for England against France in the one-off test in 2010.
16.
Sam Burgess was given a one-week ban by the NRL Judiciary for a grade one grapple tackle.
17.
Sam Burgess was placed on report during Round 21, against the Canterbury Bulldogs, for a grapple tackle made on Canterbury fullback Ben Barba.
18.
Sam Burgess therefore missed the Round 22 clash against Wests Tigers.
19.
Sam Burgess continued to represent England at the end of the season in the 2010 Four Nations tournament.
20.
Sam Burgess's shoulder was injured in the first game of the 2011 NRL season against the Roosters on 11 March, for which he needed surgery and a month of rest.
21.
Sam Burgess was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for best player in the grand final.
22.
Sam Burgess was signed for Bath Rugby in England's top competition on a three-year contract, starting from October 2014.
23.
Sam Burgess's start date was then delayed until December 2014 due to complicated surgery to fix a fractured cheek and eye socket.
24.
Sam Burgess scored his first try for Bath in the 13th round of the Premiership against Wasps at the Recreation ground and was awarded man of the match.
25.
Sam Burgess completed the most turnovers of any player in the matches of that round.
26.
The great thing about Sam Burgess is he doesn't make mistakes with ball in hand.
27.
In early November 2015 it was reported that Sam Burgess had been signed to the South Sydney Rabbitohs for $1.5m AUD per season.
28.
In December 2015 Sam Burgess was selected to play for the World All Stars in the 2016 Rugby League All Stars Match alongside his brother Tom Sam Burgess.
29.
In October 2016, Sam Burgess was named in the 24-man England squad for the 2016 Four Nations tournament.
30.
Sam Burgess was announced the new captain under new coach Wayne Bennett after original captain Sean O'Loughlin was unavailable through injury.
31.
On 6 December 2017, it was announced that Sam Burgess had agreed to a contract extension with Souths keeping him at the club until the end of 2019.
32.
On 5 September 2018 Sam Burgess signed a four-year contract with Souths keeping him at the club until the end of the 2023 season.
33.
On 21 September 2018, Sam Burgess was cleared by the NRL of any wrongdoing.
34.
Sam Burgess started the 2019 NRL season strongly as Souths won 10 of their first 11 games.
35.
Sam Burgess was placed on report during the match after hitting Cronulla player Matt Moylan with a high tackle.
36.
On 21 August 2019 Sam Burgess was voted as one of the best players of the decade in the NRL team of the decade announcement which spanned from the 2010 to 2019 seasons.
37.
In round 25 of the 2019 NRL season, Sam Burgess was replaced on report in South Sydney's victory over arch rivals the Sydney Roosters.
38.
Sam Burgess was alleged to have pulled the hair of Easts player Billy Smith.
39.
Sam Burgess was later suspended for one match over the incident.
40.
On 18 September 2019, Sam Burgess was asked by NRL CEO Todd Greenberg to meet with him and show cause as to why he should not be reprimanded for an outburst he made about criticism in relation to the NRL judiciary.
41.
Sam Burgess missed the qualifying final against the Sydney Roosters due to his suspension in round 25.
42.
On 30 October 2019, Sam Burgess was forced into early retirement due to a chronic shoulder injury.
43.
In December 2015, Sam Burgess married Phoebe Hooke in a lavish ceremony at her parents estate in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.
44.
On 5 February 2021, Sam Burgess was found guilty of intimidating his former father-in-law, Mitchell Hooke.
45.
On 19 March 2021, Sam Burgess had his conviction for intimidating his former father-in-law overturned on appeal.
46.
On 22 February 2021, Sam Burgess was arrested by police and charged with driving offences which included driving an unregistered vehicle and driving without a valid licence.
47.
Sam Burgess was later ordered to appear in court on 4 May 2021.
48.
On 20 October 2021, Sam Burgess was cleared of all charges against him in relation to a year-long investigation into allegations of abuse levelled by his ex-wife.
49.
In October 2022, Sam Burgess went public with new girlfriend Lucy Graham when the pair attended the premiere of Russell Crowe's new movie 'Poker Face' in Rome.