Sam Burgess stands at the entrance to the hospitality suite at Halliwell Jones Stadium. High, wide and doorway-like in size, he looks like he should be playing for Warrington Wolves instead of coaching them this weekend when the Super League kicks off.
On Saturday at Catalans Dragons, Burgess will make his presence felt in the stands as a new chapter begins in his extraordinary story.
Never afraid to put himself out there, one of English rugby’s most charismatic and controversial figures left his assistant job at the NRL club South Sydney Rabbitohs, where he became a superstar, to return home and try his hand at head coaching.
It doesn’t matter that he’s only 35 years old.
“I was actually 34 when I got the job,” corrected Burgess, who is younger than Warrington full-back Stefan Ratchford.
“I was finishing up at Souths and it occurred to me. A lot of people advised me to take some more time, but Wayne Bennett told me: ‘Go do this. It’s the only way to find out’. It was the sliding doors moment.
“This wasn’t a plan, but it was a great opportunity outside of my comfort zone. Long term, I wanted to be a head coach and I thought it was a great fit. It’s a great club to be a part of.”
He was training with the team the morning we met. He still does some running and gym sessions but contact is a no no. The days of Slammin’ Sam are long gone.
‘I really struggled without any purpose or drive’
It has been four and a half years since Burgess retired due to a shoulder injury; This was a period of chaos in his life.
His first attempt at coaching with the Rabbis stalled when his ex-wife Phoebe and father-in-law Mitchell Hooke withdrew after violent accusations against him, against which he fought to clear his name.
He describes the situation he finds himself in as ‘terrible’; Hooke’s conviction for intimidation was eventually overturned, and no charges were filed regarding Phoebe’s domestic violence allegations. But Burgess was convicted of driving with cocaine in his system and subsequently spent four weeks in a rehabilitation clinic.
This was a turning point where he admitted that he felt rudderless and adrift.
“I had a hard time when I first retired. “I didn’t have a purpose or a drive and I really struggled with that,” he said.
“For most of my life, for many years, I had a sense of belonging to a group and having responsibility. It was gone almost instantly.
“I was completely lost during my time away from the game. I don’t find many things difficult, but I found it very difficult to manage that period. I didn’t make any big decisions.
“I didn’t know how to handle it emotionally. I didn’t understand how I felt. This is something I’m not equipped for. I had to go and spend a lot of time working on myself and understanding the feelings and emotions that young men don’t really do that much of.
Trouble visited Burgess again two weeks ago when he was forced to appear on video link to another Australian court at 3am to defend himself after being charged with driving with a suspended licence. These charges were denied.
“It’s all done and dusted now. “I don’t know if I was targeted or not, but common sense prevailed in the end,” he said.
“I already had a fresh start in my life there, but this is a new opportunity with responsibility and purpose.”
There are problems with hemisphere switching. He returned to Australia with his new partner Lucy and baby Robbie, along with his two children from his first marriage, Poppy (7) and Billy (5).
“The only thing that makes me wish I was there is my family. “I miss the children,” he said.
“Everything else is great. I absolutely enjoyed everything about the cold weather, moving house and returning to a different lifestyle.”
Burgess is living in the UK for the first time since his tumultuous year in rugby union and is being made the scapegoat for England’s elimination from the 2015 World Cup on the pool side.
His thoughts about that time are rosier than many expected.
“I actually had a great time in rugby and had some success. People may laugh at this, but I played for Bath in the Premier League final against a ‘highly paid’ Saracens team and got into the World Cup squad. I had to train my back end to do that,” he said.
“I represented my country and felt like I gave something back to the game of rugby. I think a lot of people will disagree with this but when you really break it down I was happy with it.
“We won the two warm-up games I played, then I played against Fiji in the World Cup and we won, and then I started against Wales. We started winning after 70 minutes. Then I walked off the field and we lost!
“The game against Wales seems to be the turning point of my time in the association for a lot of people but I learned a lot.
“After that World Cup I was surrounded by great coaches who went on to have great careers.
“Racing’s Stuart Lancaster is probably the current world rugby coach, Andy Farrell is the current Lions coach, Mike Catt is in Ireland and Graham Rowntree is at Munster. They are the best coaches and I took everything they said into account.
“I loved the game of rugby union. I still do.”
‘Andy Farrell would be a great role model’
Could he one day consider a Farrell-style move to a coaching union?
“Never say never,” he said. “Even though it wasn’t for a long time, I really tried to understand the game and had the opportunity to see it from both sides, forward and backward.
“Andy may be a great role model, but he’s a tough comparison for anyone. He’s a great icon and a pretty special man.
“I’m also only in my first year as a rugby league head coach.”
Burgess takes an attractive job at underperforming Warrington, who finished mid-table under director of rugby Gary Chambers last season following the sacking of Daryl Powell.
Goals (at least public ones) can be managed deliberately.
“I hope we will be competitive. “All I really want early on is to go out there and compete and have some fun within the constraints of our structure,” he said.
“We spent a lot of time on core skills because they allow you to make better decisions under pressure. I hope you see this in the performances too.
“I’m really impressed so far. I realize we haven’t played a competitive game yet, but I feel like the team is in a balanced place and we can be honest with each other.
“I am pursuing improvement. We finished sixth last year, so anything above that is good. “We need to do a lot of things right to get there.”
Burgess’ presence means all eyes will be on Halliwell Jones Stadium. If a manager can put bums in the seats – even just to see if he succeeds or fails in his latest attempt – he will do it.
It brings baggage, yes, but it also brings panache. And a touch of Hollywood.
“Russell Crowe texted me yesterday asking how the team looked and how the weather was. Burgess sent me a nice video from the tennis court in Australia,” he said.
“He’s going to finish something in the middle of the year – something to do with his group, I think – so I’ve had him confirm that he’s coming to a game.”