Bath coach quashes Burgess NRL rumours

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Bath coach quashes Burgess NRL rumours image

Reports that Burgess could return to the NRL intensified this week after he was given extra time off by Bath in the aftermath of England's dismal Rugby World Cup campaign.

Burgess was photographed at England's rugby league encounter with France last weekend but Ford believes the cross-code star will stay in the 15-man game - once again claiming his future lies in the forwards, rather than at centre – where he featured at the World Cup.

"There's no drama here, everyone has put two and two together," Ford told BBC Radio 4.

"I've spoken to Sam many times and we've spoken about coming back to Bath, rolling his sleeves up and playing six for us.

"Everything we have spoken about has been about his future and playing well for Bath and potentially getting him to play for England in the Six Nations, if not at the end of the season on tour to Australia."

Burgess started just one of England's four pool games - the last-gasp defeat to Wales – and was closely scrutinised having been fast-tracked into the national fold after just 17 Premiership matches with Bath.

He ended the tournament in ignominy after being dropped from Stuart Lancaster's 23-man squad for their dead rubber against Uruguay.

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