DUAL RUGBY INTERNATIONAL Sam Burgess called his ex-club coach Mike Ford a “snake” and accused him of “sabotage” as he opened up about England’s disastrous 2015 World Cup.
Burgess, who made a high-profile switch from rugby league to union just months before the tournament, claimed former Ireland defence coach Ford used him as a pawn in a bid to become England boss.
Burgess retired last year after a glittering rugby league career, but the ill-fated World Cup campaign stands out as a low point in his career.
He said he confronted then Bath coach Ford after the World Cup, when Stuart Lancaster’s England suffered the indignity of becoming the first tournament hosts ever to crash out at the pool stage.
“I came back from the World Cup and I literally went in his office and said, ‘Hey Mike, I don’t trust you. I think you’re playing games behind my back,’” Burgess told the House of Rugby podcast.
“‘You used me as a bit of a pawn in your game of chess. I can’t put my boots on and play for you every week.’”
Burgess said Ford used his son – England out-half George – to “infiltrate” the team camp. He also said the elder Ford had stirred up stories in the media to unsettle him.
“I just think people behind the scenes were playing a deeper game,” he said.
“Mike Ford wanted the England coaching job, so his job was to try and sabotage Lancaster, and his decision-making and his coaching methods.”
He added: “I’ll never forget Mike’s face when I said to him, ‘Mike I don’t respect you any more, I really don’t. I think you’re a bit of a snake.’
“And I’ll never forget the little quiver that I got from him.”
Following Lancaster’s resignation from England in November 2015, he went on to join Leinster as a senior coach and has been deemed instrumental to the eastern province’s double Guinness Pro14 success and 2018 Heineken Champions Cup triumph during his tenure working in tandem with head coach Leo Cullen.
Though ironically it was Lancaster’s dropping of Ford’s son in favour of Farrell at 10 that aided the ultimate downfall. If my memory serves me well..
@Gary Donlan: Owen Farrell was and still definitely is a better player than George Ford
@Gareth Ward: no doubt. Beside the point. Lancaster had invested in Ford, had seemed to have settled on him at 10 (Farrell at centre of course) over the previous months and then panicked(presumably on grounds of physicality) and it backfired.
@Gary Donlan: I think Lancaster felt pressure to include Burgess after getting the high profile move. Burgess was never going to be a back row player despite his size which left a crash ball inside centre option.
Left him with a choice of drop Farrell or Ford, no brainer choice if you are stuck with Burgess.
@Hirrison Mirk: Yeah, he was put in a difficult situation.. Not sure if I buy Burgess’s story about MF though..
@Hirrison Mirk: England were 10 points up against Wales at RWC when they subbed Burgess off and brought on Ford. Could argue that they were better with Farrell & Burgess partnership?
@Snotser Galligan: completely agree, Burgess/Farrell makes sense against Warren ball.
@Snotser Galligan: people tend to forget that score line when Sam went off. He was made a scapegoat.