As the last brother standing, South Sydney’s Tom Burgess is bidding to power England’s bid for an elusive World Cup.
The hulking prop, 30, famously played with his elder siblings Sam and Luke as well as twin brother George for Souths in 2013. It was the first time in 103 years that four brothers had ever played first-grade together. And all the towering forwards - except Luke who just missed the cut for the 2013 World Cup - would go on to line-up alongside each other for England, too.
But superstar Sam quit three years ago due to a chronic shoulder issue and Luke had already retired at the age of just 31 following a series of knee injuries. Fellow front-row George has come back from major hip surgery with St George Illawarra this term but may also have now played his last game. It’s little wonder Tom is looking forward to making his mark when England open the World Cup against Samoa in Newcastle on Saturday.
Burgess said: “I made my (England) debut with my brothers and nine years on I suppose I am the last one standing. But I’m not worried about that. I just want to go out and represent my country again. We lost out in the 2017 World Cup final and that’s definitely driving me on.
“I’d never watched that game back. But the other day I did, just to remember everything and remember where we were and where we are now. This is a good opportunity in front of us. I just want to play well, perform and show our ability. We should go a long way.”
Does seeing his brothers forced into early retirement make the hard-hitting Yorkshireman appreciate these moments even more? Ahead of his 26th cap, ex-Bradford prop Burgess said: “The nature of our sport is it’s pretty brutal in terms of injuries. They always say you’re one game away from your last. I’m just very eager to be selected again for England.
“I never take this jersey for granted and one of my greatest achievements is playing for my country. To play in a third World Cup is really special for me. I can't wait for Saturday, singing that national anthem again and making my country proud.”
A younger Burgess suffered heartache with England when losing the 2013 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at Wembley. But he recalled: “I was just happy to be picked back then, and to be there. Life is very different now: I’m married, have kids and am at a very different stage of my career, too. I feel very confident to go into this tournament with a bit more experience and be a bit of a leader for the team.
"We know Samoa are a big, powerful side, They’ll want to come through our middle with the size they’ve got. But they have a lot of off-the-cuff skill in playmakers like (Jarome) Luai and (Anthony) Milford. They have been bolstered up by Joseph Sua'ali'i, too, so they have a really strong squad there. Everyone is talking about them and rightly so. They are awesome players who have performed very well for a while now. But we’re looking forward to going up against them.”
