Kicking It Around the Globe: Tall Tales from the Rugby Pitch to the Pub

Description

Not too many footballers reach the pinnacle of their sport, while along the way being sledged by ball-boys, mystified by the 'coffee-table' rule, terrified by Jonah Lomu and sharing a rum and Coke with the future King of England. Not to mention scoring 25 points in a World Cup final. Yes, you could say that Wallaby legend Matt Burke had some interesting times during his illustrious career. In Kicking It Around the Globe, Matt takes us behind the scenes, inside the four walls of the change room and the four lines of the football pitch, with revealing, often hilarious tales of his playing days. There are the trials and tribulations - being clobbered on his club debut for Eastwood as a 17-year-old and fumbling embarrassingly in his first match for the Wallabies. There are the better times too - Matt's stellar performance in the unforgettable 1999 World Cup final and his breathtaking Bledisloe Cup-winning penalty in 2002. And all with the banter in the background of teammates, opponents, referees, ball-boys and the occasional less-than-helpful member of the crowd. Kicking It Around the Globe is an insider's view of the passion and humour of the world of rugby, seen through the eyes of one of its finest players.

Matthew Burke established himself as one of Australian rugby's most accomplished backs during an 11-season international career with the Wallabies. He represented his country with aplomb in three positions - fullback, wing and outside centre - and played in three Rugby World Cups, in 1995, 1999 and 2003. His 81 Test appearances in Wallaby Gold netted him 878 points from 29 tries, 174 penalty goals, 104 conversions and one field goal. Wearing the sky blue of the NSW Waratahs, Burke's tally from 115 appearances resulted in 1,171 points from 36 tries, 206 penalty goals, 185 conversions and a field goal, making him the state's highest all-time points scorer. Burke was rated in 1999 by a panel of experts as the best Australian and NSW Waratahs fullback in the code's history and a unanimous choice as the best Wallabies fullback in the 'Team of the Decade' (1995-2005).