Sam Burgess will switch to the back-row for South Sydney in 2019

England star Sam Burgess will switch his regular position from loose forward to back-row at South Sydney this season.

The 30-year-old came through the ranks as a back-rower at Bradford Bulls, where played 88 games before making the move to NRL side South Sydney.

Burgess played in the back-row in his earlier days at the Rabbitohs but then moved into the middle.

On his switch from loose forward to back-row, Burgess told NRL.com: “It’s an opportunity to give Cameron [Murray] more game time.

“I thought he was fantastic for us last year. We lost Angus [Crichton] and there is a gap on the right edge, so I think it is an opportunity for us to get our best 13 on the field [by me moving into the back-row].

“Wayne [Bennett] has got a high opinion on Cameron and he probably deserves a starting role.

“I’m not getting any younger and I think a move to the right edge can lower my workload, so I can be higher in quality.

“It gives me more freedom out there. I played in the back-row when I was younger, and I can still float in the middle, but I’ve enjoyed it so far, I’ve been working on some speed and we’ll see how it goes.”