# Fergus Burke

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

## Early life

Burke was born in Gisborne, New Zealand, to an English mother, Julie, and a New Zealander father, Richard. He has one sibling, an older sister named Georgia. He began playing rugby union at the age of five, but focused on playing football for much of his childhood, before returning to rugby in his teenage years, when he attended St Paul's Collegiate School in Hamilton. 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. He won the title in 2016, after scoring half of his team's points in the final.
After high school, Burke was selected for the Chiefs under-18 team. However, he was spotted during a pre-season training camp by the Crusaders, who recruited him into their academy. 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.

## Club career
### New Zealand

In 2019, Burke began training with the Crusaders professional squad, before being named to the Canterbury provincial senior squad for the National Provincial Championship (NPC). 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.
Following his provincial debut, Burke was selected by the Crusaders to play in the 2020 Super Rugby season, operating as the third-choice fly-half behind Richie Mo'unga and Brett Cameron. 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. 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. However, he appeared regularly for Canterbury in the NPC that year.
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. He made his first start for the franchise on 4 June 2021, against Western Force.
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. He played a total of nine games during the season, including five as a starter, 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. Subsequently, Burke extended his contract with the Crusaders until 2024.
Burke became a regular starter for the Crusaders in the 2023 Super Rugby season, although he played primarily at full-back, with Mo'unga continuing as the starting outside half. Across the year, Burke featured in a total of 17 matches for the franchise, which included involvements in all of the team's play-off matches, culminating in the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific final, which the Crusaders won 25–20 against the Chiefs to claim the title. He also recorded a further 10 starting appearances for Canterbury, almost all of which were in the fly-half position, in the 2023 NPC.
Prior to the 2024 Super Rugby season, Burke had been expected to take over the starting fly-half berth at the Crusaders, following Mo'unga's departure to Japan Rugby League One team Brave Lupus Tokyo. However, he was ruled out for several months by injury, after sustaining an Achilles tendon rupture in late 2023. As a consequence of the lengthy recovery time, Burke made just three full appearances for the franchise over that season.

### Saracens

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. Following his first appearances for the club in two pre-season fixtures, he made his competitive debut as a starter in the opening round of the 2024–25 Premiership, kicking 10 points at goal during a win against Gloucester on 21 September 2024. This was followed by a European Champions Cup debut on 7 December 2024, when Burke started and scored seven points in a pool stage victory against the Bulls.

## International career

Burke represented the New Zealand Barbarians Schoolboys in 2017. He notably faced the Māori All Blacks under-18s team.
In 2019, Burke was selected for the New Zealand under-20s, making two appearances at the Oceania Junior Championship. He was then chosen for the U20s squad to compete at the 2019 World Junior Championship in Argentina, and played four games at the tournament.
In June 2024, Burke was included in the Barbarians squad for an international friendly fixture against Fiji at Twickenham Stadium in London. He played the full 80 minutes of the match, helping the team to claim the Killik Cup with a 45–32 win.
Although he represented New Zealand at junior level, Burke also qualifies via ancestry, under the World Rugby selection eligibility criteria, to play for England or Scotland, through his Dover-born mother and Glasgow-born grandfather, respectively. Burke ultimately chose to represent Scotland and, on 15 January 2025, he received his first call-up to the Scottish senior squad, ahead of the 2025 Six Nations Championship.

## Reference list

* ↑ "Fergus Burke". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
* ↑ "Fergus Burke". ESPN. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
* ↑ "Crusaders announce new-look 2020 Investec Super Rugby squad" (Press release). Crusaders. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
* ↑ "Meet Fergus Burke, the fly half replacing Owen Farrell at Saracens". www.thetimes.com. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
* 1 2 "From Makauri School football star to Super Rugby champion". www.gisborneherald.co.nz. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* 1 2 "Late start no problem". www.gisborneherald.co.nz. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* 1 2 3 "Super Rugby: How promising North Islander Fergus Burke landed at the Crusaders". www.stuff.co.nz. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "Jockeying For Position In Central North Island". www.collegesportmedia.co.nz. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "Rugby: National First XV results". www.nzherald.co.nz. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "Rotorua boys make Chiefs U18 squad". www.nzherald.co.nz. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "Junior Steamers claim U19 title Island". www.clubrugby.co.nz. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "Super Rugby: Crusaders coaches reunited with Scott Hansen named as new assistant". www.stuff.co.nz. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "5 players to watch: Canterbury". www.allblacks.com. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "Mitre 10 Cup: Tim Bateman reveals future plans as playing career winds down". www.stuff.co.nz. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "Rugby: World Cup 2023 bolters? The next possible All Blacks stars". www.nzherald.co.nz. 14 December 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "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.
* 1 2 "'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.
* ↑ "Mitre 10 Cup: Canterbury cruise past Manawatū to top premiership". www.stuff.co.nz. 10 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "Big night tonight for Fergus Burke". www.gisborneherald.co.nz. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "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.
* ↑ "Crusader first five Fergus Burke taking his starting opportunity with Mo'unga absent". www.rugbypass.com. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
* ↑ "Fergus Burke's hot form lifting Canterbury ahead of Wellington showdown". www.stuff.co.nz. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
* ↑ "Fergus Burke Re-Signs for Crusaders". www.hugerugby.news. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
* ↑ "Why Fergus Burke could be the Crusaders' 'solution at fullback'". www.rugbypass.com. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "Super Rugby Pacific final: Crusaders claim 25-20 victory over Chiefs to win seventh straight title". www.skysports.com. 24 June 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "Fergus BURKE: profile and stats". all.rugby. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "Optimism Crusader Fergus Burke won't miss entire Super Rugby campaign with Achilles injury". www.stuff.co.nz. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "Crusaders stun Blues to keep Super playoff hopes alive". super.rugby. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "Fergus Burke: Saracens agree deal with Crusaders fly-half". www.bbc.co.uk/sport. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "Fergus Burke: 'Owen Farrell was awesome but I've got to be my own player'". www.theguardian.com. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "If Fergus Burke proves an astute signing, Saracens will take some stopping". www.thetimes.com. 15 September 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ Bradshaw, Tom (21 September 2024). "Steely Maro Itoje gives his side new life as post-Owen Farrell era begins". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "Premiership: Gloucester 26-35 Saracens - Sarries open season with win". www.bbc.co.uk/sport. 21 September 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "Saracens 27-5 Bulls: George and Earl tries help Sarries to Investec Champions Cup win". BBC Sport. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "TBHS captain Cullen Grace makes NZ Schools side to tour Australia". www.stuff.co.nz. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "Watch: Aaron Cruden's brother duels the next Beauden Barrett". www.rugbypass.com. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "NZ Under 20s named for Oceania opener". www.allblacks.com. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "NZ Under 20 squad named for World Rugby Championship". www.allblacks.com. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "France defend U20 Championship title after Rosario thriller". www.world.rugby. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
* ↑ "Twickenham crowd to get first glimpse of Farrell's successor". www.thetimes.com. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "Fergus Burke adds a touch of Gisborne to Barbarians team". www.nzherald.co.nz. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "New Saracens signing Fergus Burke reveals international ambitions". www.independent.co.uk. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
* ↑ "The Fergus Burke test and rugby's free market". www.rugbypass.com. 31 December 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
* ↑ "Saracens' Burke in Scotland's Six Nations squad". www.bbc.co.uk/sport. 15 January 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.