Sam Burgess has sensationally branded his former rugby union coach a "snake", claiming that he sabotaged his career and England's failed 2015 Rugby World Cup campaign.
Burgess launched a stinging broadside at Mike Ford, accusing the ex-Bath coach of using him as "a pawn in (his) game of chess".
He claimed that Ford undermined himself and Rugby World Cup coach Stuart Lancaster in order to get his son, George Ford, game time at the tournament and also to make a bid to take over the England coaching job after the team's failure.
"I just felt that people behind the scenes were playing a bit of a deeper game," Burgess said on the House of Rugby podcast, co-hosted by his 2015 Rugby World Cup teammate James Haskell.
"I think probably the biggest outcome ... Mike Ford wanted the England coaching job. So his job was to try and sabotage Lancaster and his decision-making and his coaching methods.
"I think obviously with George being his son in camp, it kind of infiltrated a little bit into the team camp. That's just my take on it, whether that's the reality of it or not, but that's my reality."
George Ford started the tournament at flyhalf but was benched for the second game against Wales, in which Burgess started at inside centre. Burgess believes that Mike Ford was in his son's ear throughout.
"After me starting against Wales, my relationship with George completely changed. He wouldn't talk to me, he was a bit sulky and obviously Mike was a bit shady in the background," Burgess said.
"George is upset at me during the week, thinking I'd orchestrated this. I'm like, 'How can I orchestrate that?' Mike's doing his thing in the press and it just got a bit murky."
Burgess was referring to press comments from Mike Ford that he was playing in the wrong position and should have been a blindside flanker. The comments dogged Burgess, already a controversial World Cup selection, while he was in England camp.
"Mike would do press during the week, I remember him saying, 'Sam, yeah, I think he's a six, he's got to be a six at Bath and he wants to stay forever', this and that," Burgess recalled.
"I went, 'I never said that to you, Mike'. I had to call Mike, 'Can you just quieten down, especially when you say my name at the moment, it's dynamite. And then I had to go and sit in a press conference two days later and answer all the questions that you've just said, it's causing me a lot more stress than I need. Just cool off a bit'.
"Two days later, he went off and did another thing about me again. I said, 'Jesus, I just called you and directly said stop talking about me at the moment with Bath, because it's a big headline at the moment. I was asked at a press conference and had to deflect all your statements'.
"Then I was picked to start and George was on the bench, and it just created this bit of to and fro. I lost my respect for Mike, I really did. I never saw him take responsibility for what he did or what he was trying to do. When I fronted him about it, he couldn't answer that."
Although George Ford was benched for the Wales game, he replaced Burgess with 10 minutes remaining. England was leading 25-18 but lost 28-25.
"Seriously, how did we lose that game? And you look at it and knowing what I know now, I see the politics," Burgess said.
"George came on, probably 12, 10 minutes to go, to please Mike, to keep Mike happy, to keep George happy. Didn't really need him on, just let's finish the game. We have the team to finish the game, we'll do the job."
A 33-13 loss to Australia, for which Burgess and Ford were both benched, sealed England's humiliating group stage exit from a home World Cup. Burgess was absolutely steaming as he headed back to Bath, fronting Mike Ford to demand a release.
"I couldn't sit in the same room as Mike. I had to tell him I couldn't play for him anymore, I'd lost respect for him," he said.
"It was pretty hot, if I'm honest. I came back from World Cup and I literally went straight into his office and I said, 'Hey Mike, I don't trust you. I think you're playing games behind my back, you used me as a bit of a pawn in your game of chess, I can't put my boots on and play for you every week.
"And his response was, 'Hey, go on and take 10 days off, come back, maybe you'll change [your mind]. So I took the 10 days and I went to Spain for 10 days.
"I came back ... but his time he brought Stuey Hooper into the meeting, who was the captain at the time. He's asked me if I'd changed my mind. I said, 'No, I've not changed my mind, I'm being serious here. I'm going, I want to go. Let's get a deal done'.
"I had to laugh because I'll never forget Mike's face when I said to him, 'Mike, I don't respect you anymore, I really don't. I think you're a bit of a snake'. And I'll never forget the little quiver that I got from him."
Burgess had been in touch with South Sydney Rabbitohs owner Russell Crowe, for whom he'd won an NRL premiership the previous season. A deal was done overnight and Burgess packed his bags for Australia.
While in the air, Mike Ford lamented the star's premature exit from Bath, saying that Burgess "didn't have the stomach" to fight for his future in rugby.
"For me this was the time to roll his sleeves up and become the player that I thought he could be and he chose not to," Ford.
Burgess was caught unawares.
"I'd just landed back in Sydney and I had to front a press conference, which was huge in Australia, and that was a question," Burgess said.
"I didn't realise he'd said it and I laughed and said, 'Mike Ford said that? Yeah, OK.' I didn't respond to it because what's the point? He showed his true colours, he showed me who he was."
Burgess perhaps had the last laugh. He'd quietly made his feelings about Mike Ford known before leaving Bath, to the club's owner.
"I told Bruce Craig in fact, he was a great businessman and he's very passionate about the club and the sport of rugby union. I told Bruce, 'Mike's not the guy that'll tke you to glory. He won't take you to a championship. He's too selfish," Burgess said.
"Six months later, they sacked him. I probably showed Bruce the real Mike."
Ford's tenure at Bath ended in May 2016, after a disappointing season in which his side finished ninth. He is currently the director of rugby for Dallas Griffins and the fledgling US Major League Rugby competition.
Burgess' NRL career ended last year due to a chronic shoulder problem. He will forever be remembered for the 2014 grand final, in which he won the Clive Churchill Medal by playing the full game with a broken face as South Sydney ended a 43-year premiership drought by beating the Bulldogs.
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/rugby/sam-burgess-snake-mike-ford-george-ford-rugby-world-cup-2015/df94a580-c27b-4e76-9868-09279fe30d69
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