Four Burgess brothers throw weight behind Bunnies

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Nearly half a tonne of English muscle will lend its weight to South Sydney's quest for a first Australian rugby league title in 42 years when the four Burgess brothers play together for the club for the first time this weekend.

Four Burgess brothers throw weight behind Bunnies

(AAP)

England international Sam, 24, Luke, 26, and 21-year-old twins George and Tom - weighing in at a combined 460 kg (1,014 pounds) - have all been named in the squad for Friday's match against West Tigers at the Sydney Football Stadium (SFS).

It will be the first time in 103 years that four brothers have played together at the top level of rugby league, the number one winter sports code on the east coast of Australia.

The Rabbitohs, co-owned by Hollywood actor Russell Crowe, are one of Australia's oldest rugby league teams but won the last of their 20 titles in 1971.

Level with points at the top of the National Rugby League (NRL) standings with the Sydney Roosters, the Rabbitohs will almost certainly need a win on Friday to keep alive their hopes of claiming top spot and home advantage throughout the playoffs.

With a suspension for Sam and an injury to Luke having prevented the four brothers from turning out together before, there is a good chance the four Yorkshiremen will also feature in next week's regular season finale against the Roosters.

"To see them all work extremely hard, it's obviously something as a group they've been really keen to achieve," Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire told reporters on Wednesday.

"And it's through merit, they thoroughly deserve their positions. Everyone is looking forward to a game like this with four brothers."

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Ian Ransom)


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world