Rugby union veterans see the funny side of Sam Burgess’s defection

It's fair to say the Sam Burgess experiment was an unmitigated clusterf**k.

The England and Bath flanker/centre has packed up his troubles in his old kitbag and hightailed it back to the warm embrace of Sydney, Russell Crowe and rugby league. A mere 372 days after signing up for rugby union at Bath on a £500,000-a-year contract, Burgess has abandoned the 15-man game in the wake of a disastrous World Cup where he carried the can - somewhat unfairly - for England's early exit. Still, it seems the decision of the working-class lad from West Yorkshire to abandon his fabled West Country team-mates for the lucrative rewards of the NRL is ripe for comedy. Particularly amongst old pros. https://twitter.com/brianmoore666/status/662562966559174657/photo/1 According to the Daily Mail there was nothing funny about the manner of  Burgess's departure, with the 26-year-old banned from returning to the club or seeing his ex-teammates after the deal was done with South Sydney Rabbitohs.