HE COULD lay claim to the status of being one of our greatest-ever imports but now that he’s back on home soil, Sam Burgess may need to concentrate on ironing out a few of the Australianisms he picked up during four awe-inspiring years down under.

When ‘Slammin Sam’ was finally unveiled as a Bath player last week, the impact the 25-year-old had made during his four years with the South Sydney Rabbitohs was epitomised as a representatives of some of the biggest names in Australian media, sitting alongside journalists from the UK’s most-famous broadsheets and red tops, had travelled to the Rec to bid a fond farewell to the only Englishman ever to be named the RLIF International Player of the Year.

Every facet of how the Yorkshireman came to make what is probably the most high-profile cross-code switch is history was put under the spotlight and the inevitable questions over his potential fast-tracking into Stuart Lancaster’s England team were relentless.

And on one such occasion when discussing his discussions with the England chief, a Freudian slip showed just how acclimatised Burgess had been accustomed to life in Australia, as he revealed that Lancaster only rang him a couple of times, “but only to say g’day – I mean hello.”

Burgess will certainly need to go back to school as he adjusts to life as a union player.

He may have already been lauded as one of the greatest league forwards of all-time but the transition to a new game is still expected to be far from simple for the fearsome ball-carrying star.

Sitting next to his stellar new signing, who is seemingly never too far away from a comparison to New Zealand cross-code ace Sonny Bill Williams, Bath coach Mike Ford preached patience over Burgess’ early development back in his home country.

Not naive enough to ignore the understandable expectation levels surrounding his new man’s arrival and despite putting faith in Burgess’ prowess enabling him to shine in union, Ford spoke of how he would have to knuckle down and learn the game, earning the respect of his team-mates before slipping on a Blue, Black and White shirt in earnest.

The spotlight will be firmly placed on the Rec more than ever before as the nation waits to see if ‘Slammin Sam’ can create the same shockwaves in the exciting next chapter of his career.

If he can prove to be the model union student, who knows what kind of success Burgess could be saying ‘g’day’ to next?

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