McNamara to get his England wish over Burgess

The Australian club had originally stated they would not release the former Bradford Bulls player for the Gillette Fusion International on June 12 as they had a fixture against Brisbane Broncos the same weekend.

However, McNamara yesterday selected both Burgess and fellow NRL exile –Wests Tigers' Gareth Ellis – for his first match in charge.

It is a significant boost for the Bradford coach, who will take over as England chief on a full-time basis at the end of the season, given Souths chief executive Shane Richardson had initially insisted there was no chance they would allow their gifted and expensive acquisition to make the trip.

Richardson seemed adamant after making a defiant public stance maintaining he "couldn't care less" about subsequent criticism of his club and a fully-blown club v country row was set to unfold.

But regulations state international fixtures always hold sway over club games and Souths realistically never had any hope of preventing the Yorkshireman from representing his country, even though a disappointed Burgess had publicly said he would accept his employer's decision.

It is understood Richardson's heated reaction probably stemmed from hearing about the 21-year-old's planned involvement before the Rugby Football League had actually made their official approach for the player, who has proved an instant hit in the NRL following his move from Odsal last winter.

However, the RFL stood firm and McNamara will now re-unite with the ex-Bradford forward, who he sees as a crucial part of his plans for the Gillette Four Nations in Australia and New Zealand this autumn.

The France fixture is the only home game planned before England head overseas and he is keen to field his strongest team possible.

Both Burgess and second-row Ellis are certainties when it comes to the tournament and their confirmed presence next month is timely news for McNamara who discovered on Tuesday his captain Jamie Peacock is unlikely to be fit after the Leeds prop was ruled out for up to six weeks with a knee injury.

Burgess, who can play prop, second-row or loose forward and was always keen to join the squad, is seen as a potential England captain and could even take the armband for the game against France at Leigh Sports Village although experienced vice-captain Adrian Morley is a more likely candidate.

"Sam and Gareth are important parts of our plans, both for the Gillette Fusion international and this year's Four Nations and beyond," said McNamara.

"We are about to embark on an exciting journey culminating in the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and the match against France is a significant juncture in our development.

"Both Sam and Gareth were instrumental in the progress we made during last year's Gillette Four Nations and have key roles to play in building on that momentum.

"We have kept close tabs on their progress in the NRL and are delighted by their form in 2010. I'm looking forward to working with them both again next month."

Burgess added: "I want to thank Souths for respecting my wish to play for England in this game.

"I love playing for my country. It's always a great honour for me."

Meanwhile, he is currently nursing a sore knee, ironically after coming off worse in a heavy tackle with Ellis when they met on Sunday in Souths' 50-10 rout of Wests, who have no issue with Ellis's England involvement as they have a bye on the weekend of the French fixture.

The former Leeds man is likely to feature in the Wests team playing Bulldogs on Friday, June 4 before flying back home but Burgess will have less time with the England squad as he is expected to play for Souths the following Monday before departing.

McNamara will announce the rest of his 19-man squad for the Gillette Fusion International on Tuesday, June 1.

Before then, Peacock will meet up with England Academy players as part of a workshop next Wednesday to share his experiences, focusing on how to cope with key transitions and stages in their career.