Sam Burgess has dismissed a return to rugby league

Sam Burgess has denied rumours that he will return to rugby league with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Burgess, who has been named on the bench for England's Rugby World Cup opener with Fiji on Friday night, switched codes to join Premiership club side Bath late last year.

In his weekly column for Skysports, Stuart Barnes had called for Burgess to respond to the speculation and the 26-year-old has shot down reports that he will head back to the Rabbitohs, where his brothers George and Tom still play.

"There is no truth in it at all and I've not had a word from Australia so I don't know where it has come from but it's definitely not true," he said.

"I've not heard anything at all and let's just leave it at that."

England face Australia in the World Cup pool stages and when asked whether the reports were an attempt to unsettle him ahead of the World Cup, Burgess responded: "I'm not too worried and I'm not so sure it has worked."

"I've got a lot in front of me with Fiji and I want to concentrate on the job in hand," Burgess added.