Misfit Sam Burgess back in training at Bath

Sam Burgess reported for training at Bath yesterday morning, the Aviva Premiership club have confirmed.

England centre Sam Burgess attended training at Bath. Picture: PA

Burgess was given time off after England’s World Cup disaster and travelled to Spain to reflect on his future in union after completing the first year of his three-year contract at the Recreation Ground.

Bath head coach Mike Ford revealed Burgess “didn’t quite feel right” upon his return to club duty and the 26-year-old is understood to be seeking a return to league with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

The Premiership runners-up have included Burgess in their 41-man squad for the European Champions Cup, but his return to league just 12 months after switching codes appears inevitable. His transition has been made harder by England’s insistence on using him as an inside centre while last season he played his best rugby for Bath at blindside flanker.

According to his brother Tom, the uncertainty over Burgess’s future is a result of the welcome he has received in union.

“Speaking truthfully, he was probably treated a bit unfairly in my opinion and that’s probably what’s pushing him away at the moment,” Tom said after helping England’s rugby league team to a 26-12 win over New Zealand in Hull.