Matt Burke
Australia
player portrait
Full name Matthew Coleman Burke
Born March 26, 1973, Sydney, NSW
Current age 50 years 359 days
Major teams Newcastle Falcons, Australia, Australia XV
Position Fullback
Height 6 ft 0 in
Weight 206 lb

Test career
Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Won Lost Draw %
All Tests 1993-2004 81 69 12 878 29 104 174 1 55 25 1 68.51
Bledisloe Cup 1995-2004 17 15 2 176 7 9 41 0 8 9 0 47.05
IRB Rugby World Cup 1995-2003 13 12 1 125 6 19 19 0 12 1 0 92.3
The Rugby Championship 1996-2004 28 23 5 271 7 19 65 1 12 15 1 44.64

Career statistics
Test debut Australia v South Africa at Sydney, Aug 21, 1993 match details
Last Test South Africa v Australia at Durban, Aug 21, 2004 match details
Test Statsguru Main menu | Career summary | Match list | Most points | Most tries | Tournament list

English Premiership
Team Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Won Lost Draw %
All matches 2004-2007 59 56 3 288 16 23 53 1 23 34 2 40.67
Newcastle Falcons 2004-2007 59 56 3 288 16 23 53 1 23 34 2 40.67
Profile

Matt Burke is a former Australian fullback who helped his country win the World Cup in 1999 scoring 25 points in the final. He represented the Wallabies at numerous age-grade levels and joined Sydney outfit, Eastwood, before playing in the final of the 1993 World Cup Sevens tournament. He made his Test debut in the same year against South Africa as a replacement in Sydney in a 19-12 victory.

Many of Burke's greatest performances came against New Zealand and in a Bledisloe Cup match in 1996 he ran 70 metres to score a memorable individual try. Two years later he continued to be a scourge against the All Blacks when he scored all 24 points in a victory for the Wallabies.

The following year Burke enjoyed his greatest moment on the rugby field when he won the World Cup. In a tense affair against South Africa in the semi-final he booted eight penalties and he kicked 25 points in the final as Australia beat France to claim their second World Cup at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Two years after the World Cup win he was part of the Australian side that won the series against the British & Irish Lions in 2001. In the deciding Test he kicked five penalties and two conversions to win the series 2-1 in Sydney.

In the 2003 World Cup on home soil, Burke was dropped from the side after a narrow 17-16 victory over Ireland and spent most of his remaining games in a Wallabies shirt on the bench.

The following year Burke played his last Test for Australia and was not offered a contract by New South Wales Waratahs, a club he had been associated with for eight years. He decided to join Newcastle Falcons after numerous offers from around the world and was a popular figure at the club winning the 'Player of the Year' before retiring in 2008.

He represented the World XV in 2006 and was chosen at fullback in the 'Wallaby Team of the Decade'. Since his retirement he has opened a sports business, which specialises in skills sessions for children.

Latest Articles
Test greats excited by Lions tour (Jul 27, 2012) Aussie advantage (Oct 10, 2011) A one man show (Sep 9, 2010) A photo finish (Sep 9, 2009) Never a dull moment (Aug 5, 2009) Matt Burke news and articles (29) »
Latest Photos
Apr 20, 2009
Former Wallabies Matthew Burke and Jim Lenehan share a joke
Former Wallabies Matthew Burke and Jim Lenehan share a joke
©  Getty Images
Apr 20, 2009
Former Wallabies Matthew Burke, Jim Lenehan, Arthur Buchan, John Hipwell, John Thornett and Tim Horan
Former Wallabies Matthew Burke, Jim Lenehan, Arthur Buchan, John Hipwell, John Thornett and Tim Horan
©  Getty Images
Aug 7, 2004
Matt Burke leaves the pitch in Sydney after his last game for Australia on home soil
Matt Burke leaves the pitch in Sydney after his last game for Australia on home soil
©  Getty Images
Aug 3, 2002
Australia's Matthew Burke is congratulated after landing the game-winning penalty against New Zealand in 2002
Australia's Matthew Burke is congratulated after landing the game-winning penalty against New Zealand in 2002
©  Getty Images
Matt Burke rugby photos (9) »

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