IF ANYONE has a reason to hate Sam Burgess, it’s Wigan coach Shaun Wane.

He spent eight hours sitting on a train in a bid to sign the South Sydney star.

That’s right.

Wane endured a travel time of 480 minutes on a train from Wigan to Bath only for his advances to be shot down in a matter of minutes.

Round 19

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“I had a four-hour train journey down to Bath all for nothing,” Wane revealed to foxsports.com.au.

“I met him when he was leaving England rugby union Bath and going back to Sydney. I went down and met him and had a chat with him and we have a good relationship. He’s a good kid.”

Sam Burgess of the Rabbitohs breaks through the defence. Source: Getty Images

It was October 2015 when Wane made the bold attempt to sign South Sydney’s Clive Churchill Medal winner.

After leaving the NRL with a premiership victory under his belt, Burgess set out in a new adventure in England’s top rugby competition.

While he snared a place in England’s World Cup side, he was heavily scrutinised and came under fire for the nation’s poor performances.

With the cards stacked against him, the rugby experiment was over.

The whispers grew louder that the workhorses was looking for a return to the 13-man game and that’s when Wane reached out to the 29-year-old who played four years in the Super League with Bradford before moving to the NRL in 2010.

Sam Burgess of the Rabbitohs looks on. Source: Getty Images

So did Wane ever feel confident he could land his signature?

“I did on the train down but within five minutes of the meeting I realise it was a waste of time,” he said.

“I’m glad I went down and touched base with him.

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“I explained to him what I’m about and my philosophies and the culture we have at Wigan and he was excited about that so one day we might get together, one day we might not but he’s the sort of player that does it for me.”

Despite the ridiculously long trip only to be shut down, Wane still hopes to one day luring the Englishman back to the homeland.

England's Sam Burgess acknowledges fans. Source: AFP

Such is his opinion of the backrower, Wane declared that if he could have his pick of signing any player in the NRL, it would be Burgess.

It’s not a difficult question to answer.

While you’d expect most coaches to nominate the likes of Cameron Smith or Johnathan Thurston, Wane declared Burgess is still the No.1 target on his wish list.

“I like Sam Burgess,” he admitted.

“He’s an English lad, a Yorkshire kid. I like how he plays. I like his competitive spirit.

“He’s a tough, competitive, mentally strong player.”

South Sydney host Wigan at ANZ Stadium on February 17.