By Andrew Simpson NSW Columnist
July 24 2005

Australia’s Matt Burke launched his biography last month “A Rugby Life” and our Australian NSW Columnist Andrew was there to check out all the details for us. As always Andrew tells the tale in true Aussie style - If you want more of Andrew check out his site www.rugbypassion.com

photo copyright of www.newcastle-falcons.co.uk

Over a hundred of Matt Burke’s true believers assembled at Sydney’s Four Seasons Hotel last month for the launch of Burke’s biography “A Rugby Life”. The merit of new “Blow Fly” beer (yes, the beer’s real name) on offer was heavily debated. However, the swarm soon turned their buzz to the question that has been irritating Waratah’s supporters all winter. Could the Waratahs have beaten the Crusaders in the Super 12 final if Burke had still been in the side? The jury may be out on the new brew, but not on Ewan McKenzie’s decision to swat Sydney’s favourite rugby son Matt Burke.

 

    The gong sounded and the swarm took on a reverential demeanour.  The congregation was ushered into the ballroom. Master of Ceremonies, Ex Wallaby Captain Phil Kearns was clearly in his element, warming the audience with his cheeky, school boy playground banter. The roster of guest speakers included World Cup winning Coach Bob Dwyer (Dwyer coached the first of Australia’s two world cup wins in 1991, just to remind my English brothers), All Black Andrew Mertons (via telephone) and ex-Wallaby Owen Finegan.

 

    Mertons and Finegan proved to be great straight men for Kearns, while Dwyer’s speech provided insight into the depth of feeling that the Sydney rugby community has towards this gentleman Burke.

 

After a little roasting, Kearns invited Dwyer to launch Burke’s book.

 “Rugby, probably more than any other sport, instills such passion in its players and spectators…passion can lead to disappointment, disappointment to bitterness. Books like this show a magnificent career, and it is a credit to Matt that his disappointment has not lead to bitterness,” 

an emotional Dwyer said.

 

    In between the speeches, lunch was served. On the day’s menu from Four Seasons, Executive Chef Marc Miron offers Pumpkin and Spinach Risotto, Baby Rockett and Shaved Parmesan as entrée; for mains, Roasted Beef Sirloin with Pumpkin, Potato Gratin, and Green and Yellow Beans with Red Wine Reduction.

 

    The glorious food silenced the confab and for a moment, an eerie silence descended upon the ballroom. Alongside modern rugby, the modern rugby lunch had embraced professionalism and was delivering a total entertainment experience. As the Xanadu Semillon Sauvignon Blanc or Xanadu Shiraz Cabernet was being poured, a multimedia presentation on a giant screen treated the diners to a collage of Matt Burke’s magical moments. Further evidence of the depth of Burke’s career was the amount of footage available, from schoolboy to test legend; magnificent tries to crippling injury, and of course, the festival of his boot.

 

    Finally, it was the man-of-the-moment’s turn to speak. Burke moved onto the stage in slow motion, not unlike the way he runs. Dwyer calls this the “Eastwood lope”, frustrating for coaches always believing the speeding Burke looks as if he could go faster. Burke acknowledged the support his wife Kate provided during the turbulent departure from the Waratah’s and the move half way across the world to Newcastle in the north of England. If you came looking for an outpouring of hard feelings, you don’t know Matt Burke. Burke is too much the champion for such antics. His new club, the Newcastle Falcons, got a special mention for embracing the “older” player and their desire to have him play full games of footy and then he was off the stage as quickly as he arrived. The applause was generous and deafening; Rod Stewart would have deemed it worthy of an encore.

 

    The function drew to a close; fortunately the NSW Rugby Club was a mere hundred metres away. It was all downhill from there, both in gradient and in your correspondent’s ability to recount the facts. Of one thing you can be rest assured; many tackles were made, tries scored, scrums packed down, and remember- when’s, remembered. 

Andrew Simpson NSW Rugby.

Unofficial England's Australian Columnist