In the weirdest friendship triangle that none of us saw coming, SAS Australia’s Sam Burgess and Koby Abberton not only knew each other before filming, they both have a mutual friend in Hollywood legend Russell Crowe!
In episode 104 of So Dramatic!, host Megan Pustetto broke down the unlikely friendship triangle, and there was a lot to unpack…
Sam was playing football in England and was scouted by the Aussie actor to join his beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs team, which he has co-owned since 2006.
The pair formed a very close bond and Rusty eventually lured Sam’s entire family, including his three brothers, over to Australia to play for the team.
Tragically, Sam had some heartbreak after his Dad died of motor-neurone disease in 2007. He was just 15 when his dad became seriously ill.
He revealed in an interview that the tough period made him grow up fast, saying: “I learned not to take things for granted. It made me stronger, but colder, too, in a way.”
Russell is said to be like a father figure to the former Rabbitohs captain. In a club statement after he retired from the NRL, Sam made a special mention to the Gladiator actor.
He said: “To Russell – for making all this happen initially – I’ll be forever indebted to you. Your passion is infectious.”
The paid have remained friends, with Sam even staying with Russell during his marriage split from ex-wife Phoebe and moving to the central coast where Russell lives, to coach another of his football teams.
So now, what about Koby and Russell?
Just under 10 years ago, the story of Koby and his brothers, Bra Boys, Sunny, Jai and Dakota made international headlines.
The brothers went from public housing in Maroubra to international surfing fame and fortune and then lost it all.
And it was all captured on film by Russell, who narrated the award-winning Bra Boys documentary: Blood is Thicker Than Water, which became Australia’s highest-grossing non-IMAX documentary in 2007.
Similarly to Sam, Koby and his brothers were was also taken under the wing of Russell who took them all to Los Angeles for the film’s premiere, where they walked the red carpets of Hollywood in 2007.
Since then, they have remained friends.
The web of Russell’s connections doesn’t stop there either!
SAS DS Mark “Billy” Birmingham is friends with Russell Crowe too! He told The Good Chat with Anita Anabel podcast that he actually used to be Russell’s bodyguard! I wonder if Billy gave Koby and Sam a pass considering they’re like son’s to his top client?!
New prerequisite for applying to SAS Australia: must know Russell Crowe!
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