NRL news: England's Sam Burgess named South Sydney captain

SYDNEY — England captain Sam Burgess has been handed the same role at his South Sydney team in the National Rugby League.

Souths coach Wayne Bennett, who also coaches the England national squad, made the announcement Thursday ahead of his team's Friday match against Canterbury.

Burgess takes over for Greg Inglis, who retired unexpectedly earlier this week due to serious shoulder injuries.

Bennett says of Burgess: "There is no one better to take on the role of captaincy. He has always been there to help me and fill the void when Greg was not available, and there's no one better I would rather work with."

Burgess, who said "it's a great honor and privilege to captain the greatest club in the NRL," has played 168 NRL matches for the Rabbitohs since arriving from England in 2010.

The 30-year-old lock recently signed a contract to keep him at Souths until 2023.

He won the Clive Churchill medal as the game's most valuable player while playing with a broken cheekbone during the 2014 grand final, which South Sydney won.

The Rabbitohs have won four of their first five matches this season and are in second place, trailing the Melbourne Storm, who are 5-0, by two points.

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