'Life went from Pleasantville to Game of 王位s': Sam Burgess' fiance Phoebe Hooke on the truth behind their return to Australia - and the 苦痛 of watching her fiance's troubled year in rugby union

• e-mail

There are many things I’ll shed a 涙／ほころび over in my lifetime, but I never imagined a rugby game 存在 one of them.

When the final whistle blew on England vs Australia at the 最近の Rugby World Cup we; the families, partners and friends, sat in 苦痛d silence.

We were placed, rather cruelly, in a sea of gold-jersey 覆う？, Waltzing Matilda-singing - very merry - Aussies, and for the first time since Sam and I made the trans-大西洋 move, I cried.

Scroll 負かす／撃墜する for ビデオ?

Sam Burgess and Phoebe Hooke arrive at the Dally M Awards at 星／主役にする City on September 29 in Sydney

Sam Burgess and Phoebe Hooke at Bondi beach after their return to Australia in November

Phoebe Hooke has explained the 裁判，公判s and tribulations of she and fiance Sam Burgess' life in England and their return to Australia

Sam Burgess and fiance Phoebe Hooke pictured arriving in Sydney?

Phoebe pictured on holiday in Santorini ahead of the Rugby World Cup

I’m still 自信のない if that was an almighty adult tantrum, 失望, an 半端物 sense of 愛国的な joy for Australia, or pure 救済 that it was finally over.

There’s nothing やめる like the feeling of 存在 完全に 投資するd in but 全く out of 支配（する）／統制する of an 結果.?

These men we support week in week out, season in, season out, 傷害 in, 傷害 out are 用意が出来ている for this type of loss - they are 競技者s. They 捜し出す 慰安 in their team mates when the result isn’t the one we’d all visualised and 約束d ourselves and they have the ability to 捜し出す solace in pulling their 業績／成果s apart looking for answers.?

But for those of us who sit 持つ／拘留するing our breath in the stands, those 80 minutes are nothing short of 神経-wracking, 苦悩 inducing and the 演劇 queen in me would say, torturous.?

Sam Burgess (left) recently opened up about his 決定／判定勝ち（する） to leave England and rugby union to return to playe league for the Sydney Rabbitohs

Burgess (pictured) and fiancee Phoebe Hooke are 報道によれば hoping to start a family in Sydney

The couple pictured watching the England versus フラン rugby league friendly on October 24

Because, un like the fans who piled out of Twickenham and into the pubs for lager-fuelled recaps of every play, we would take the awkwardly silent bus ride 支援する to Pennyhill Park to begin another week of soul searching, newspaper avoidance, finger pointing and of course, 選択.?

It’s fair to say, ever since Sam broke his cheekbone in the first minute of the 2014 NRL Grand Final, I’ve struggled to enjoy his footy games with the same na?ve excitement I had at the beginning of our 関係, let alone enjoy a tournament which felt like it was held in a 圧力 cooker.

The very first 指示，表示する物 I had that my fianc? was having wandering thoughts about his 未来 was the morning after England fell out of their pool, known as the pool of death for its saliva-inducing line up of an 情熱的な むちの跡s 味方する, the 約束 of a new England team and the experience of the Aussies.?

Having only played eight minutes, a 比較して fresh Sam sat glued to his iPhone. He was watching this year’s NRL grand final over his porridge, which no 疑問 conjured up memories of his own victory last year in Australia.?

Hooke explains that the couple are happy to be 支援する in Australia after living in England since 2014

Sam Burgess puts in the hard yards during a game (left) to break a 取り組む and 権利, during a training 開会／開廷／会期

Not only for the 勝利，勝つ, which every sportsman chases of course, but for his old team mates and all of the passion and excitement that Johnathan Thurston’s 業績／成果 奮起させるd across the country.?

Contrary to the beliefs and writings of the 半端物 sideline commentator on our 動機s for coming home, which 含む musings over money and fame, put 簡単に, Sam 行方不明になるd the game.?

I tend to 同意しない with my fianc? when he said he had a change of heart, in our 世帯 league never left and this yearning for the game, which やめる honestly runs in his 血, was unforeseen.

Before coming to the realisation that, やめる 率直に, the juice wasn’t 価値（がある） the squeeze for us in union, Sam and I fully 投資するd in our Bath life. So much so we 現実に 投資するd in it.

Within the first six months we had bought a two-bedroom apartment on the 素晴らしい Georgian 広大な／多数の／重要な Pulteney Street, updating it and 精密検査するing it to create our perfect English nest.?

It could have been the Jane Austen 影響 but にもかかわらず having a television pedigree I 設立する myself happily 令状ing from home.

Burgess 試みる／企てるs to break through a 取り組む while playing for England in the 最近の rugby world cup (left). He recently opened up about his 決定／判定勝ち（する） to return to Australia to play league

Phoebe left her 職業 in magazines to make the move to the UK with her sports 星／主役にする boyfriend

Ms Hook worked freelance from her home in Bath

The writer has kept 信奉者s updated with glimpses of the couple's home life

Abandoning my 十分な-time news and entertainment 役割 at Cleo magazine in Sydney with a sideline segment with Nine, I moved to freelancing from my kitchen-placed laptop and 安全な・保証するing a 週刊誌 column with the 地元の magazine.?

We committed to English life in the form of roasts on Sundays, 氷点の nights at the 地元の stadium and we even procured a fascination over the 天候, 取って代わるing cotton with cashmere and dressing like Kate Moss at Glastonbury on a daily basis - though I probably looked a little more like Her Majesty in my Barbour jacket and Hunter wellies.?

So much of our lifestyle changed and I embraced it, 含むing a glass of ワイン at 4pm because it was dark outside. Along with career changes and matching 押し進める bikes to get around town, we pictured our life in Bath over the next three years.

Hooke said she and Burgess enjoyed their time in England but were happy to have returned to Sydney

As the madness of the World Cup began to take 持つ／拘留する, life went from Pleasantville to Game of 王位s. And finally, Sam was in his element.?

As a partner of anyone in any high-圧力 profession it’s obvious when the intensity ramps up. I can honestly say, for our entire time in the UK, the five months Sam spent in the England （軍の）野営地，陣営 were his favourite.

On the other 味方する, they were the partners’ loneliest. I can only sit 支援する in 賞賛 of the women who have kids in that 環境 and nail it sans live-in nannies for this time.?

Even though we were able to see our other halves in the flesh once or twice a week, their minds and their 焦点（を合わせる） were どこかよそで. Which is 明白に indicative of a strong （軍の）野営地，陣営 but it also showed the sacrifice that comes with the 職業.

The five World Cup months were an 絶対の ride. The feeling was like sitting on a 高潮，津波 whose 頂点（に達する）s and 気圧の谷s were defined by squad 選択, game, 削減（する）s, 圧力（をかける）, smaller squad 選択, game, 削減（する）s, 圧力（をかける）.

As a group of about 55 people - not counting children and 延長するd family - we were 絶えず teetering on the 辛勝する／優位, 団体／死体 and mind filled with adrenaline, and had our blinke rs on to the 残り／休憩（する） of the world.?

As partners, we would reach the end of the week and after a few frantic What’s App messages about heels or no heels would make our way to the hotel to catch up, eat, and stay the night in the hope of keeping a sense of normality 主要な into the next day - Game Day.?

Hooke (権利) said she and fiance Burgess (left) had 達成するd a '明言する／公表する of 静める and 安定' since returning to Australia

Hooke, on the red carpet at the 2014 国家の Rugby League Dally M Awards in Sydney

I know it’s human nature to want to keep reading for the juicy 支援する-stabbing gossip about what the women would say about each other, who got on, who didn’t, and to 明らかにする／漏らす the truth about those headlines, which were 率直に a sideshow taking up 価値のある space better used to commentate on the players.?

I can honestly 明らかにする／漏らす to you I have never been so lucky to be surrounded by a group of such 独立した・無所属, unique women who are in fact the leaders of their 世帯s, the support, the chefs, the 労働者s and the psychologists.?

Apart from one or two ladies along for the ride, the Instagram 適切な時期s and the 解放する／自由な シャンペン酒 (there’s the dig!), we won together and we lost together. And with only my dad, Julie Burgess and Luke Burgess able to make it over for the tournament, I would have been lost without them.

The two weeks which led to the 急ぐ at Sydney Airport were nothing short of tumultuous. We were living in limbo and 公正に／かなり unwelcome.?

Hooke recently 地位，任命するd this picture of the couple holidaying together

Returning South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL player Sam Burgess (left) and fiancee Phoebe Hooke arrive at the international airport in Sydney on November 11. Burgess has re-調印するd with the Rabbitohs after a year playing rugby union for Bath and the English 国家の team

This time, however, gave us pause to 反映する on the people who we had formed 本物の 社債s with and those who had 協議事項s hidden の近くに to their chests.?To say it turned ugly in the マスコミ, at the 地元の club and の中で 確かな women in leadership positions would be fair.?

There’s no 否定するing, however, we would have let the team 負かす／撃墜する had we stayed halfheartedly. And any coach who knows Sam, knows he plays with his heart.

On home turf, we have finally 達成するd a sense of 静める and 安定. With a 厳しい 事例／患者 of jet lag and excitement at the 日光, Sam and I have woken up every morning at 6am to a walk along Bondi beach with a good Aussie-質 coffee in 手渡す followed by family time, wedding planning and reflection over the past year and friendships made.?

This is the life. This is our life. And I might even enjoy a footy game this year.?