Sam Burgess says his decision to end his time in rugby union was based on the fact his heart was no longer in it.
The England World Cup squad member confirmed last week that he'd be heading back to Australia to play for rugby league club South Sydney Rabbitohs, ending a brief and turbulent spell in rugby union.
Burgess said his decision to switch codes again was based on personal reasons, but also hit out at an alleged 'agenda' from various public sectors that made his stay in rugby union difficult.
'I think a lot of people outside the England camp had an agenda against both England and in some circumstances, me,' he wrote in the Daily Mail. '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.'
Burgess said he had been deflated by the way things turned out at the World Cup, with England bowing out at the pool stage, but had no regrets about his time in rugby union.
'I enjoyed it and met so many good people. I’ve got a lot of good friendships from it, but at the end of the day, the game just didn’t give me as much enjoyment as rugby league gives me.'
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