There is much more than national pride at stake for Tom Burgess over the next five weeks. For over 15 years, the prospect of an England squad without the surname Burgess has been unthinkable. But even Tom would be the first to admit that he did not envisage being the sole survivor of the clan going into this year’s World Cup.
So much has changed in the five years since England fell desperately short against Australia in the last World Cup final: not least in the Burgess family. That day, Tom shared the field with his older brother Sam. But he and Tom’s twin, George, have since been forced into premature retirement. The dream of the three brothers representing their country in a home World Cup together this year failed to materialise.
It means Tom, now 30 and the last active Burgess brother of the four – the other being their eldest sibling, Luke – who won the NRL Grand Final together in 2014 with South Sydney, is not just playing for England, he is playing for his family. “Honestly mate, I’m bursting with pride to be able to represent my family at another World Cup,” Burgess says on the eve of England’s opening game against Samoa.
Few players are fortunate enough to play in two World Cups. On Saturday, Burgess will join a select group of individuals to have featured in three consecutive tournaments, a remarkable feat that few would have expected from Tom when he became the last of the four brothers to make the move to South Sydney in 2013. It is not an honour he takes lightly.
“It is crazy to think that it’s the third time I’ve been in a World Cup, and it’s certainly not an achievement I take for granted,” he says. “I didn’t really give it much thought until someone mentioned it lately but with each World Cup, I’ve been at a different stage in my career and in my life. In 2013, I was 21 and just off the back of my first year in the NRL. I guess I was just happy to be there, on reflection.
“But 2017 hurt. We had a real shot at winning it and we fell agonisingly close. But this year, as a player, I feel the most prepared I’ve ever been for a World Cup. I’m excited at how this group has come together.”
Burgess is not alone in feeling the pain of England’s last World Cup. Many of the squad who played in that 6-0 defeat by Australia in the 2017 final have spoken of a desire to put that right this year.
“2017 still hurts me, it haunts you, and it probably always will,” he says. “I don’t think I’ve ever watched it back fully, the entire game. I just can’t do it. It was there for the taking and we just weren’t as clinical as we could have been. Everyone tried their arses off in that tournament but the big thing for me was we had a bond as a group and that was a big part in getting us as far as we did. I see that again in this group too.”
Burgess may see the potential, but not everyone does. There has been so much noise about the prospects of the Pacific nations that some pundits have England underdogs for the clash with Samoa on Saturday afternoon. For the first time in a Rugby League World Cup there are five teams – Australia, New Zealand, England, Samoa and Tonga – who believe they can win the tournament.
Burgess, however, is not too bothered about England’s chances being downplayed. “You look at the other squads, there’s lots of NRL experience in there so it’s a fair comment that they’re all being talked up,” he says. “But we’re not worried about being the underdogs, we just want to go out there and play: we’ll just get on with it and let our rugby do the talking. We’re happy for that all to be said about all the other nations.”
He and his family may now have settled in Australia, having been there for a decade, but Burgess has not lost touch with his English roots, and knows how much success in this World Cup would lift the sport at home.
“I keep thinking back to 2013, the last World Cup and how the whole country got behind England … rugby league felt enormous,” he says. “I’m excited about feeling that again this year. I want to inject a bit of a shot of life into rugby league in this country because it took a bit of a hit with Covid and other stuff and to give English rugby league fans something to cheer would mean a lot to me.”
The Burgess brothers have accomplished much in rugby league, individually and as a collective – the 2014 NRL Grand Final is a piece of sporting history that may never be repeated. But Tom concedes there is one thing missing from their family mantlepiece and the responsibility to put that right now rests solely on his shoulders.
“Success with England is maybe the one thing we haven’t achieved, and the pinnacle of the game for me is still international rugby,” he says. “It’s right near the top of my to-do list, to get some success with England. The last time I was here and we beat New Zealand in the Test series in 2018, that is still one of my best memories in the game. To replicate that success in a World Cup would mean everything.”
