Peter Burke (rugby union)

Peter Burke

Full name	Peter Standish Burke
Date of birth	22 September 1927
Place of birth	Tauranga, New Zealand
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	97 kg (214 lb)
School	Tauranga Boys' College
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Lock Number 8
New Zealand No.	534
Provincial/State sides
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1946 1947 1948–59	Bay of Plenty Auckland Taranaki	117
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1951, 1955, 1957	New Zealand	3	(0)
Coaching career
Years	Club / team
1963–65 1981–82	Taranaki (assistant) New Zealand

Peter Standish Burke ONZM (born 22 September 1927) is a former New Zealand rugby union player, coach and administrator. A lock and number 8, Burke represented Bay of Plenty, Auckland and Taranaki at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, in 1951, 1955 and 1957. He played 12 matches for the All Blacks including three internationals.^[1]

After retiring as a player, Burke went on to contribute to rugby as a selector, coach and administrator. He was a Taranaki selector from 1960 to 1968, and assistant coach of that union from 1963 to 1965. He also served as president of the Taranaki Rugby Union. From 1970 to 1975 he was a North Island selector and he became a New Zealand selector in 1978. Burke was the All Blacks coach during the 1981 Springbok Tour and also for the tour of Romania and France later that year. In 1994 he served as president of the New Zealand Rugby Union.^[1]

In the 1997 Queen's Birthday Honours, Burke was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rugby.^[2]

The Peter Burke Trophy, named in Burke's honour, is contested between the Bay of Plenty and Taranaki representative rugby union teams.^[3]

References

1. Knight, Lindsay. "Peter Burke". New Zealand Rugby Union. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
2. "Queen's Birthday honours list 1997". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2 June 1997. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
3. "Inter provincial silverware". Taranaki Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 22 September 2015.