Sam Burgess retires: England star quits rugby league due to persistent shoulder injury

Calling it quits: Injury has forced England's Sam Burgess to retire from rugby league
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Malik Ouzia @MalikOuzia_30 October 2019

England rugby league star Sam Burgess has confirmed his retirement due to a chronic shoulder injury.

The 30-year-old called the decision “one of the hardest I’ve had to make in my life” as he signalled time on a career that saw him represent England 23 times and captain them in the 2017 World Cup Final against Australia in Brisbane.

“I am no longer able to be myself day in, day out on the training field and consequently the playing field,” said Burgess, who also crossed codes to play for his country at the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup.

Burgess began his career with the Bradford Bulls in 2006, before signing for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 2010.

In 2014, he switched to union, signing for Bath, but moved back following a disastrous World Cup on home soil that saw England fail to progress past the initial pool phase under Stuart Lancaster.

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