Sam Burgess ended his brief stint in rugby union eight years ago when he left Bath to rejoin the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Burgess became a dual-code player after leaving the Souths and signing for Bath in 2014, making his debut for the Premiership team in November the same year.
Burgess was selected for England ahead of their home 2015 World Cup campaign, which ended in Stuart Lancaster’s side failing to make it past the group stage of the competition for the first time.
But on November 5, after 12 months as a union player, Burgess confirmed he would be returning to the NRL with the Souths on a three-year contract.
“I want to thank everyone at England and Bath for some great memories over the last 12 months,” he said.
“I must thank Bath especially for granting my release to return home to my family, who I have missed more than I could have imagined.
“I am also extremely excited to be joining back up with South Sydney. I cannot wait to get back into the Rabbitohs’ culture, full of great people and passionate members and supporters.
“I had a wonderful time in England and learnt a lot about the game of rugby union as both a back and a forward, and I have definitely developed as an all-round player and athlete after that.”
Burgess stayed with the Rabbitohs until his retirement from rugby in 2019.
He subsequently joined the coaching staff at the Australian club before signing a contract as head coach of Warrington in August.
Wigglesworth promoted in England backroom reshuffle
Richard Wigglesworth has been promoted to England's senior assistant coach after a reshuffle of their backroom staff ahead of the upcoming Tests.
The former scrumhalf will remain in charge of England's attack but will also now act as the number two to Steve Borthwick, collaborating with him on the team’s game plan.
The pair previously worked together at Leicester Tigers in the Premiership, leading the team to the title in 2022.
"Richard's deep knowledge of the game and his excellent tactical understanding means he has become a key figure in our coaching team," said Borthwick.
"He shares our emotional commitment to English rugby, and I am certain he will play a crucial role in driving the standards of this England team."
Wigglesworth, who made 33 appearances for England, added: "This is an exciting time for England rugby.
"Steve has created a coaching environment based on collaboration and hard work, and we are constantly evolving and growing and striving for success."
Meanwhile, Joe El-Abd is working as the defensive coach, while Kevin Sinfield has agreed to stay on with the team in a reduced capacity.
England take on New Zealand on November 2 before continuing their other autumn internationals against Australia, South Africa and Japan.
Kolisi delighted with Springboks resilience after Rugby Championship triumph
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi was delighted with the character of his side as they defeated Argentina 48-7 to win the Rugby Championship title on Saturday.
In a role reversal last week, the Pumas denied Kolisi’s team the chance to win the title with a game to spare, pipping them to the post in a thrilling 29-28 win.
But the Springboks channelled the frustration from that near miss into a crushing win against the same opponents, and a first title in the competition since 2019.
Kolisi said: “I am lost for words but it has been a journey and a half, after last week, the way we stood up today says a lot about our team.”
The Springboks captain was also full of praise for his opponents, stating they will only improve in the coming years and that both sides share similarities.
He told Sky Sports: “Argentina are a side you cannot look over, how hard they work and what they did to us last week - they are a proud nation, similar to South Africa, the way they use the ball like we do. They will only get better and better."
Kolisi also reserved special praise for lock and long-time friend Eben Etzebeth, who became the most capped Springbok of all-time.
"I want to say to my best friend Eben that I am so grateful to be on this journey with you," Kolisi said.
"We have been together since we were 18 and you've been a true friend and you have led us in so many ways, the way you play the game.
"I am so proud of you and pleased to be your friend. I can't wait to tell my grandkids I played with Eben Etzebeth. Cheers, my friend, I love you!"
Having brought up that milestone, Etzebeth stated his desire to continue with the national team for as long as possible.
He said: “Rugby is like a religion in our country, to play for the Boks is the ultimate. You cannot go any better than that and I don't want to, it's the best team.
"Hopefully I stay fit and the coaches keep picking me. I will try my best."
Pumas captain Julian Montoya, meanwhile, was upfront about his side’s poor performance.
Montoya said: “Credit to South Africa, we were not good enough, they were the better team today.
“Of course I am pleased with what we have done, but you are only as good as your last game, and we were not good enough today. We have to get better."
'Frustrated' Schmidt eager to improve after disappointing Rugby Championship
Australia coach Joe Schmidt is determined to build on a disappointing Rugby Championship after being "frustrated" by their 33-13 defeat to New Zealand.
The Wallabies made a strong start on Saturday but found themselves trailing at the break after a topsy-turvy first half, and failed to get a single point on the board in the second as the All Blacks stretched their lead.
It was their ninth consecutive loss to New Zealand, who also beat them 31-28 in round five, and they have now won only one of their last six Test matches, losing the other five after making an unbeaten start under Schmidt.
Australia finished last in the four-nation tournament, with Schmidt rueing some of their missed chances after they slumped in the second half.
"I thought we created a few things early but what we had a lot of frustration [about] in that first half was slow ball," said Schmidt on Stan Sport.
"We were digging the ball out from amongst bodies on our side and that was really frustrating because it broke our rhythm.
"We started really strongly, got that try and then missed a couple of chances. They connect so well back off the sideline a couple of times, running back laterally and then connecting up with square runners.
"But just talking to Scott Barrett there, we made them work for it, and we're going to keep working for ourselves and make sure opponents do have to work for anything they get, and we try to get a little bit more."
Australia's tour in November, which includes Tests against England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, the nations that contribute players to the Lions, is next up, and Schmidt is looking forward to their next challenge.
"It's a bit like when we come up against the All Blacks, you know it's going to be a really tough tour.
"But if we can keep building through that tour, then I think we put ourselves in a position of potentially being competitive next July [against the Lions]."
Meanwhile, New Zealand's victory was their first in Wellington since June 2018, ending a five-game winless run in the capital.
They made a slow start to the game before rallying to a dominant comeback win, but captain Scott Barrett was just happy to triumph in Wellington.
"Really pleased to reverse the curse," All Blacks skipper Scott Barrett said.
"We didn't start too well, but I'm really pleased with how we finished: some grit in defence, and we held out the Aussies."
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