London Irish Mini, Professional and 13 Caps for Ireland - Paul Burke

You were London Irish RFC’s first mini player to achieve a test cap, tell us a little about your memories from those early days at London Irish and the coaches you recall?

It was back in 1980 when my dad, Finbar, brought my brother and me down to The Avenue in Sunbury. Mini rugby was just getting started at the club and I was 7 years old when I joined. Little did I know, how much of an impact London Irish would have on my rugby life. In those early days one person that stands out for me is Paddy Hughes. I firmly believe that the strength of the mini and youth sections today would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the efforts of Paddy. He was the driving force behind establishing mini rugby at London Irish. He even managed to persuade the BBC (Rugby Special) to cover the Mini Rugby Festival, which really put London Irish on the map.

If my memory serves me right, I think it was around 1983/84 and the team I was playing in were the featured London Irish side. Our matches were played on the 1st XV pitch and all I can remember of that day was how bad the weather was, it poured and the pitch got absolutely destroyed.

We didn’t progress as far as we would have liked but what a brilliant experience. I had many coaches along the way but two in particular that stand out were Mick O'Sullivan and Eddie Patton. I guess the older I got the more impact these coaches had on my desire to be the best I could possibly be.

To be the first mini player to have played in every age group on my way up to the 1st XV and then go on and play for Ireland makes me very proud. London Irish was where it all started for me and I hope in years to come there will be many more boys that will follow the same path that I did.

Who were the other standout Mini and youth players during your time at London Irish?
To be honest, I don’t think there was anyone in my age group that followed me into professional rugby. My half back partner during my mini days was Jamie Griffiths, he had a fantastic pass and we formed a great partnership.

He gave up rugby and is now an accomplished actor in film and TV. As I got older, other players I played with that went on to play in the 1st team were Rob Henderson who moved across from Kingston rugby club and Owen Cobbe.

You played for Cork Constitution, Munster and made 13 appearances for Ireland, tell us a little about that time?
When I graduated from Loughborough University back in 1994, the game was amateur and I had been playing in the 1st team for two seasons. I was 21 and I had just declared for Ireland having represented England at various age group levels.

I had a real desire to go over and play my rugby in Ireland and it was when my old England schools’ coach, John Davies, contacted me and said that he was taking up a coaching role in Cork Constitution, that I made the decision to head across.

Before I knew it, I was living in Cork and had started work as a PE teacher at CBC Cork. From there I played for Cork Constitution and Munster, and in 1995 made my debut for Ireland against England at Lansdowne Road. The one thing I remember from that day was the strength of the wind, even trying to stand still for the National anthem was a challenge. No surprising the quality of the game was poor, but a day I look back on with fond memories.

That year was also the World Cup in South Africa. We reached the quarter-finals losing out to France in Durban having beaten Japan and Wales in our group and to be part of that event was an unforgettable experience.

I got the bulk of my 13 caps between 1995 -1997 and won my last cap in 2003 against Samoa on Ireland’s tour to Australia, Tonga and Samoa. When I look back on my career, I feel very fortunate to have achieved what I did. I had some memorable experiences, played at some great clubs but more importantly made some lifelong friends.

What players do you keep in contact with from those days?
In my role as Director of Rugby at Epsom College, I actually come across quite a few past players whose sons are now playing on the schools’ circuit. I regularly bump into Owen Cobbe on the 7s circuit as he is the Director of Sport at New Hall School. Rob Saunders, Simon Geoghegan, Ciaran Bird and Sean Burns to name but a few I see from time to time.
I think one of the best things about rugby are the friendships you make along the way, no matter how much time goes by, the experiences of playing in a team creates a special bond which I feel is unique to rugby.

What laws would you change in today’s professional game and why?
I would certainly look at the law around the choke tackle when a maul is collapsed and the players are on the floor. Players should not be allowed to fall on the wrong side and kill the ball. If they don’t move immediately, they should be penalised. It’s very negative and slows up the game.

On scrums, I would also like to see the clock stopped when scrums are reset, as a lot of time is being wasted because of this.

Finally, what advice would you have for today's London Irish Amateur RFC Mini and Youth players who dream of running out onto the turf at the Aviva Stadium or Twickenham?
My main advice I would give is ‘You never stop learning’. Use every session as an opportunity to improve. Never grow tired of working on the basics of the game, your core skills and enjoy it. To be successful you have to enjoy what you are doing.
If you have aspirations of becoming a professional be prepared for a bumpy ride. There will be many highs and lows in your career and it is how you ride out the lows that will determine how successful you are.

Finally, my last piece of advice would be to try and watch as much rugby as possible. In particular, watch the players in your position and study what they do in certain situations. This really helped me develop my game management and improved my ability to see space on the field, which for a fly half is very important.

You note your the Director of Rugby at Epsom College, can you kindly tell us what that involves?

We run a substantial rugby programme at Epsom, reqularly fielding 22 teams on a Saturday from U12C all the way up to the 1st XV. With over 40 coaches to coordinate my role is to ensure the smooth delivery of the rugby programme and provide a coaching environment that will enable boys and girls to become the best they can be.

Thank you Paul. London Irish Amateur Rugby Football club offers teams for all ages, both male and female. Inspired by Paul's story why not check out our teams and start or continue your rugby journey with LIARFC. You will be made very welcome at Hazelwood the home of London Irish.

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