"I couldn't sit in the same room as Mike, I'd lost all respect for him"
On the latest episode of House of Rugby, Alex Payne and James Haskell are joined from Sydney by Sam Burgess for an explosive and hugely revealing episode in which nothing is off the table.
The 2015 Rugby World Cup was an opportunity for England. Hosting the tournament on home soil presented a massive advantage to Stuart Lancaster's side.
In the end, it was a complete disaster. Defeats to Wales and Australia in the pool stage saw England become the first World Cup host nation in history to be eliminated before the knockout stages.
But how and why did the team collapse to such a degree?
Sam talks for the first time about the real reasons why the tournament was such a disaster. He reveals who was to blame, who was playing politics, and who was scheming and sabotaging things behind the scenes for their own ends.
He also discusses the breakdown of his relationship with George Ford as a result, and how he ended up completely losing respect for Mike Ford.
He also discusses retirement, Russell Crowe, Taylor Swift, hanging out with Leonardo DiCaprio and winning titles with the Rabittohs.
