Fergus Burke adds a touch of Gisborne to Barbarians team

Gisborne-born Fergus Burke of the Crusaders (left) is tackled by Ryan Louwrens of the Rebels during a Super Rugby Pacific game last year. He made an appearance for the Barbarians in their match against Fiji at Twickenham at the weekend. Photo / Photosport

Crusaders first five-eighth Fergus Burke, of Gisborne, played for the British Barbarians in their 45-32 victory over Fiji at Twickenham on Saturday.

Burke, an old boy of Makauri School and Gisborne Intermediate, has signed to play for leading English Premiership side Saracens and is qualified to play for England.

The 24-year-old first five kicked one conversion and missed one other shot before passing the kicking duties over to Crusaders winger-fullback Chay Fihaki.

The famous invitational side featured other past or present Crusaders teammates in ex-All Black Leicester Fainga’anuku (two tries) and All Blacks great Sam Whitelock, who captained the side in his final first-class match.

Japan-based former Chiefs openside flanker Lachlan Boshier also scored two tries for the Robbie Deans-coached Barbarians.

The Highlanders’ Dutch-born lock Fabian Holland, who qualifies to play for the All Blacks next season, came on in the second half.

Other notables playing for the Barbarians included the former French midfielders Gael Fickou and Virimi Vakatawa and the Japan-based Jack Cornelson, son of Greg who scored four tries against the All Blacks in a Bledisloe Cup test at Eden Park in 1978.

Epeli Momo, who plays for the Fijian Drua in Super Rugby Pacific, scored a hat-trick for Fiji.

The Barbarians-Fiji match followed the Wales-Springbok test at Twickenham and was played before more than 65,000 spectators.

The Springboks won 41-13.

Burke, the son of Richard and Julie Burke, missed most of the Crusaders’ disastrous season - ninth out of the 12 teams - because of a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered playing for Canterbury last year.

He will play for Canterbury in this season’s NPC before taking up his Saracens contract.

Following his primary and intermediate schooling in Gisborne, Burke attended St Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton,

He represented the New Zealand Barbarians Schools’ team in 2017.