Jamie Peacock says Sam Burgess is the best player has has ever played with following his retirement from the game.
Peacock, rugby league royalty himself following his own glittering career, has played with some of the greatest players of the modern era.
But the former Leeds and Great Britain star, who played alongside Burgess for both the Lions and England, ranks Burgess as the best he has gone to battle with.
“He’s the best player I’ve ever played alongside,” he said.
“I think it’s been wonderful to see a 15-year-old with bags of talent make the most of it and become one of the modern greats of the game.
“I think it’s a sad loss. It’s sad when any player has to retire not on his own terms. But he’s made a deep mark within the game. He’ll be gone, but never ever forgotten. I think he’s one of the true champions of the sport. He’s a truly fantastic player and a great bloke off it as well.
“He’s been outstanding. For me, the performance in that Grand Final was the most inspirational and courageous performance I’ve ever seen by a rugby league player and I don’t think it will ever be surpassed. To fracture your cheekbone like that and then go on to get the man of the match in the biggest game of the year is absolutely incredible.”
