England coach Eddie Jones rules out further rugby league raids
By PA Sport
Saturday 23 September 2017 23:32, UK
Image:Rugby league star Sam Burgess had an unsuccessful stint in the 15-man code
Eddie Jones has ruled out making a raid on rugby league to improve England's World Cup prospects in the mould of Sam Burgess' doomed cross-code switch.
Burgess was lured away from South Sydney Rabbitohs by Jones' predecessor Stuart Lancaster in the season before the 2015 World Cup, but it proved to be an ill-advised move as the Great Britain star returned to Australia 12 months later having made minimal impact.
England failed to progress from the pool stages of the tournament, the attention generated by Burgess' presence causing disruption, and Jones has little interest in casting his net outside his current playing resources.
"We don't sign players - we are the Rugby Football Union," Jones said.
If clubs want to recruit rugby league players and they are good enough to play for England then we will pick them.
"[RFU chief executive] Steve Brown doesn't come to me and say 'here's £500,000, spend it on a player'. I don't have that option, I can't influence recruitment.
"I can't say to Leicester 'you sign George Smith' - I can't do that it, it is not my responsibility. It is a nonsense. That's not me. That's not my job.
"My job is to pick from the Premiership clubs, we have a relationship with the Premiership clubs, we select players from the Premiership clubs. We don't tell them to recruit.
"If they want to recruit rugby league players and they are good enough to play for England then we will pick them."
