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Fergus Burke

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Fergus Burke
Date of birth (1999-09-03) 3 September 1999 (age 25)
Place of birthGisborne, New Zealand
Height189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight85 kg (187 lb; 13 st 5 lb)
SchoolSt Paul's Collegiate School
UniversityUniversity of Canterbury
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half
Current team Saracens
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2019–2024 Canterbury 37 (389)
2024– Saracens 7 (37)
Correct as of 15 December 2024
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2020–2024 Crusaders 42 (134)
Correct as of 15 December 2024
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2019 New Zealand U20 6 (26)
2024 Barbarians 1 (0)
Correct as of 15 December 2024

Fergus Burke (born 3 September 1999)[1] is a New Zealand-born professional rugby union player, currently playing at fly-half for Premiership Rugby club Saracens in England.[2] He previously played for the Crusaders in Super Rugby, and Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship (NPC).[3]

Club career

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New Zealand

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Burke was born in Gisborne, New Zealand and began playing rugby union at the age of five.[4] He focused on playing football during his childhood, but returned to rugby in his teenage years, when he attended St Paul's Collegiate School in Hamilton.[5] Playing primarily as a fly-half, he featured in his school's first team for several seasons, competing in the Central North Island High School Championship.[6] He won the title in 2016, after scoring half of his team's points in the final.[7]

After high school, Burke was selected for the Chiefs under-18 team.[8] However, he was spotted during a pre-season training camp by the Crusaders, who recruited him into their academy.[5] He then moved to Canterbury where, in addition to rugby training, he studied for a business degree at the University of Canterbury. He initially played for the Crusaders under-18s team, followed by the Canterbury under-19s team.[9]

In 2019, Burke began training with the Crusaders professional squad,[10] before being named to the Canterbury provincial senior squad for the National Provincial Championship (NPC).[11] He made his NPC debut on 10 August 2019, against Waikato. In total, he played 10 games in his first NPC season, with two starts.[12]

Following his provincial debut, Burke was selected by the Crusaders to play in the 2020 Super Rugby season,[13] operating as the third-choice fly-half behind Richie Mo'unga and Brett Cameron.[5] He made his Super Rugby debut on 14 March 2020, coming on as a substitute against Japanese franchise Sunwolves, and scored nine points, including a try.[14] This was his only game with the Crusaders in 2020, as the competition was suspended shortly afterwards, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he did not feature in Super Rugby Aotearoa.[15] However, he appeared regularly for Canterbury in the NPC that year.[16]

In the 2021 Super Rugby season, Burke established himself as the preferred understudy to Mo'unga with the Crusaders, and played a total of eight games.[15] He made his first start for the franchise on 4 June 2021, against Western Force.[17]

For the 2022 Super Rugby season, Burke took advantage of Mo'unga's absence at the beginning of the campaign to make several starting appearances.[18] He played a total of nine games during the season, including five as a starter,[19] although he did not participate in the knockout stages, as the team won the title. That same year, he also enjoyed a major role in Canterbury's run to the final of the 2022 NPC, finishing as the competition's top scorer, with 147 points.[20] Subsequently, Burke extended his contract with the Crusaders until 2024.[21]

Saracens

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In 2024, Burke departed the Crusaders and moved to England to join Saracens on a long-term contract, replacing outgoing fly-half and captain Owen Farrell.[22] He made his competitive debut for the club in the opening round of the 2024–25 Premiership,[23] starting in a win against Gloucester on 21 September 2024.[24]

International career

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Burke represented the New Zealand Schoolboys in 2017.[25] He notably faced the Māori All Blacks under-18s team.[26]

In 2019, Burke was selected for the New Zealand under-20s,[4] making two appearances at the Oceania Junior Championship.[27] He was then chosen for the U20s squad to compete at the 2019 World Junior Championship in Argentina,[28] and played four games at the tournament.[29]

Although he represented New Zealand at junior level, Burke also qualifies via ancestry, under the World Rugby eligibility criteria, to play for England or Scotland, through his English mother and Scottish grandfather, respectively.[30]

Reference list

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  1. ^ "Fergus Burke". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Fergus Burke". ESPN. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Crusaders announce new-look 2020 Investec Super Rugby squad" (Press release). Crusaders. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  4. ^ a b "Late start no problem". www.gisborneherald.co.nz. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Super Rugby: How promising North Islander Fergus Burke landed at the Crusaders". www.stuff.co.nz. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Jockeying For Position In Central North Island". www.collegesportmedia.co.nz. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Rugby: National First XV results". www.nzherald.co.nz. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Rotorua boys make Chiefs U18 squad". www.nzherald.co.nz. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Junior Steamers claim U19 title Island". www.clubrugby.co.nz. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Super Rugby: Crusaders coaches reunited with Scott Hansen named as new assistant". www.stuff.co.nz. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  11. ^ "5 players to watch: Canterbury". www.allblacks.com. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Mitre 10 Cup: Tim Bateman reveals future plans as playing career winds down". www.stuff.co.nz. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Rugby: World Cup 2023 bolters? The next possible All Blacks stars". www.nzherald.co.nz. 14 December 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Brett Cameron to start for the Crusaders while Fergus Burke lines up on the bench for Super Rugby debut". www.rugbypass.com. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  15. ^ a b "'I'm ready': Fergus Burke not feeling the heat filling in for Richie Mo'unga". www.stuff.co.nz. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Mitre 10 Cup: Canterbury cruise past Manawatū to top premiership". www.stuff.co.nz. 10 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Big night tonight for Fergus Burke". www.gisborneherald.co.nz. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  18. ^ "Onus goes on young Crusader Fergus Burke ahead of biggest start of his career". www.stuff.co.nz. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  19. ^ "Crusader first five Fergus Burke taking his starting opportunity with Mo'unga absent". www.rugbypass.com. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  20. ^ "Fergus Burke's hot form lifting Canterbury ahead of Wellington showdown". www.stuff.co.nz. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  21. ^ "Fergus Burke Re-Signs for Crusaders". www.hugerugby.news. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  22. ^ "Fergus Burke: Saracens agree deal with Crusaders fly-half". www.bbc.co.uk/sport. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  23. ^ Bradshaw, Tom (21 September 2024). "Steely Maro Itoje gives his side new life as post-Owen Farrell era begins". www.thetimes.com.
  24. ^ "Premiership: Gloucester 26-35 Saracens - Sarries open season with win". www.bbc.co.uk/sport. 21 September 2024.
  25. ^ "TBHS captain Cullen Grace makes NZ Schools side to tour Australia". www.stuff.co.nz. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  26. ^ "Watch: Aaron Cruden's brother duels the next Beauden Barrett". www.rugbypass.com. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  27. ^ "NZ Under 20s named for Oceania opener". www.allblacks.com. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  28. ^ "NZ Under 20 squad named for World Rugby Championship". www.allblacks.com. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  29. ^ "France defend U20 Championship title after Rosario thriller". www.world.rugby. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  30. ^ "New Saracens signing Fergus Burke reveals international ambitions". www.independent.co.uk. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
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