Scotland set to pick another ‘Kilted Kiwi’ as fly-half once tipped to succeed Richie Mo’unga in line for Six Nations call-up – report
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend and Saracens fly-half Fergus Burke.
Scotland could be set to select another ‘Kilted Kiwi’ with Saracens’ Fergus Burke potentially receiving a call-up for the Six Nations.
The 25-year-old joined the Londoners from the Crusaders earlier this season and has settled in nicely, with Sarries currently in third place in the Premiership table.
Burke is obviously eligible for New Zealand after he was born and raised there, but he could also play for England and Scotland.
According to the Telegraph, the playmaker is “under serious consideration” for Six Nations selection by Gregor Townsend.
Scotland squad named soon
The head coach will make a decision next week on whether to include Burke in the squad for the upcoming championship.
Tom Jordan – another New Zealander – and Finn Russell are guaranteed selections but, with Adam Hastings out for an extended period due to a facial fracture, Burke could be called up.
“It’s a long recovery process so we wish him all the best,” Glasgow defence coach Peter Murchie said of Hastings. “It’s a nasty injury so we’ll look after him and he’ll get the best of care. He’s a little bit sore and obviously it’s good that he’s had the operation.
“Obviously it was pretty clear that it was a nasty one straight away. Initially, we didn’t fully realise that it was the jaw, but it was a huge contact. It must be incredibly frustrating for him. In the last couple of years, he’s had some really bad luck. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”
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The fly-half has long held Test ambitions and he could well realise that dream sooner than perhaps he expected when the Six Nations squad is announced later this month.
“I am driven by international rugby,” Burke said earlier in the season. “I’ve talked to people in and around it but, to be honest, I’ve got things to focus on here [at Saracens].
“If I can play good rugby and we can get some results that stuff can take care of itself.”
Learning from Richie Mo’unga
Burke, a former New Zealand U20 star, began his professional career at Canterbury before he was selected for the Crusaders’ Super Rugby squad.
He spent much of his time behind Richie Mo’unga in the pecking order, although he sometimes covered at full-back.
However, with Mo’unga departing after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Burke was tipped to take over the fly-half role, but injury struck at an untimely moment.
The playmaker suffered an Achilles tendon issue at the same time the World Cup was going on, ruling him out of the majority of the 2024 Super Rugby season.
Burke returned towards the end of the campaign but by that point, his mind had already been made up after Saracens announced his signing in April.
