The aura was not enough. With five England caps to his name and 17 matches in the Aviva Premiership, Sam Burgess heads full circle back to rugby league leaving a host of red faces in his wake.

From the outset, the expectation over Burgess was unrealistic and overhyped. From the fanfare around his unveiling to his fast-tracking into the England set-up as early as January for the Saxons, it has been a case of too much, too soon. He needed time to find his feet and adjust but the pressure of a World Cup hosted on English soil accelerated his development exponentially.

As someone accustomed to winning and being in the top one percent of his peers in rugby league, to someone attempting to learn a new code and having to garner knowledge from his team-mates, it must have been a humbling experience for him.

The confusion over what position he would play did not help. England saw him as a centre, Bath maintained to the end his future was in the pack at blindside. He is an exceptional athlete but even Michael Jordan could not convert brilliance in one sport to another in the space of a year and then expect to perform at the highest level in the World Cup.

Sam Burgess © Getty Images

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Even Burgess' England's team-mates were reportedly surprised at his inclusion at the expense of Luther Burrell. It was an uncharacteristic gamble from Stuart Lancaster and his coaching staff and one that has backfired spectacularly. The choice of Burgess over Burrell rubbished much of what Lancaster had pinned his team's culture on.

The talk of 'credit in the bank' having an influence on selection was baloney when back-row hybrid Burgess was picked over Burrell. England's justification for Burgess' spot in the squad was always down to his form in training but though he must have put in Rocky-like yards, it was no substitute for Test match experience.

Assistant coach Andy Farrell was one apparently pushing for Burgess to be fast-tracked as he saw the game-changing ability in the 26-year-old but his sentiments in August now seem misjudged.

"Sam has forced our hand in making us pick him," Farrell said on the day England unveiled their 31-man Rugby World Cup squad. "We don't think he is at a stage where he is a million miles away or we would not have selected him. He hasn't got his 'L' plates on any more, that is for sure."

His impact was far less than that billing. Talking to a high profile coach ahead of England's match against Wales, he said Wales would only have been scared of two players in the hosts' ranks: Dylan Hartley and Burrell. Burgess' inclusion at outside centre was seen as a boost.

Then came dismissals of his ability as a centre by 83-cap Ireland back Gordon D'Arcy. "His naivety embarrassed those around him," said D'Arcy of Burgess' performance against Wales, "and severely damaged England's chances of reaching the quarterfinals." A brutal summation. Perhaps his ability at union was lacking, but his attitude was never questioned. That is until now, when it all seems to have got too much and the adventure has been brought to an abrupt halt.

At club level, Bath now need to find a new blindside. Carl Fearns departed in the summer frustrated with a lack of game time, leaving Matt Garvey as their sole option at No.6. He is a gifted flanker but they will have to rebuild his faith in the club after they opted for Burgess over him in last season's Premiership final. There is a trail of rebuilding required.

This was an opportunity missed for union. Burgess had all the attributes to be one of the great union players. But rather than being named alongside Jason Robinson, Lote Tuqiri and Mat Rogers, instead he will be grouped alongside Chev Walker, Lesley Vainikolo and Joel Tomkins as a player who tried and failed to crack the union code.