Peter Burge (rugby)

Infobox Rugby biography
name = Peter Burge


caption =
birthname = Peter Harold Boyne Burge
nickname = Emu
dateofbirth = 14 February, 1884
placeofbirth = Penrith, New South Wales
dateofdeath = July, 1956
placeofdeath =
height =
weight =
ru_position = Lock
ru_amateuryears = 1904-1908
ru_amateurclubs = South Sydney
ru_amupdate =
ru_nationalteam = Australia
ru_nationalyears = 1907-1908
ru_nationalcaps = 3 Tests
ru_nationalpoints =
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ru_clubyears =
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ru_clubpoints =
ru_clubupdate =
super14 =
super14years =
super14caps =
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ru_province = New South Wales
ru_provinceyears = 1905-08
ru_provincecaps = 3
ru_provincepoints =
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ru_sevensnationalyears =
ru_sevensnationalteam =
ru_sevensnationalcomp =
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rl_position = Second-Row Forward
sooyears =
sooteam =
soocaps =
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rl_nationalteam = Australia
rl_nationalyears = 1911-1912
rl_nationalcaps = 0 Tests
rl_nationalpoints =
rl_ntupdate =
rl_amateuryears =
rl_amateurclubs =
rl_amupdate =
rl_clubyears = 1910
1911-1914
rl_proclubs = South Sydney
Glebe Dirty Reds
rl_clubcaps = 1
15
rl_clubpoints = (0)
(3)
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rl_coachclubs = St George Dragons
rl_coachyears = 1937
rl_coachupdate =
rl_position = Forward
other = no
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Peter Harold Boyne Burge (1884 - 1956) wasn an Australian rugby footballer and coach. He represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union. The the eldest of the four Burge brothers, Peter was one of the first Australian dual-code rugby internationals.

Rugby union career

Playing rugby union with South Sydney in 1904 the twenty-year old Burge was selected for the Metropolis (City) representative side against the Great Britain tourists. When the All Blacks toured in 1905 Burge played against them firstly for Metropolis and then in a New South Wales side.

He made two rugby union tours, to New Zealand in 1905 with the first full Australian team and later on the epic 1908-09 tour of the British Isles, Canada and the United States. On both trips he only played one game due to injury. Peter played at lock in three Tests (two as Captain) for the Wallabies in 1907 against the touring All Blacks.

On the Wallaby tour of 1908 he broke his tibia in his first match against Devon. He took no further part in the tour and one of the replacements sent over to fill the touring squad was his brother Albert Burge.

Rugby league career

He was one of the fourteen 1908-09 Wallabies including Chris McKivat, Charles McMurtie, "Boxer" Russell and Arthur McCabe who defected to rugby league after their return from the Olympics and the epic tour. In Burge's case he joined his brother Alby in the 1909 "Wallabies v Kangaroos" promotional match which then disqualified him from the amateur code. He joined the South Sydney Rabbitohs in 1910 but then the following year linked with Albert and Frank at Glebe. He toured Great Britain with the 1911-12 Kangaroos captained by his former Wallaby and then Glebe captain, Chris McKivat. He made four tour matches appearances for Australia.

Along with McMurtie and Bob Stuart, Peter Burge made his international league debut in a tour match on that 1911 tour but did not play in any Tests. Collectively they were therefore Australia's 17th to 19th dual-code rugby internationals.

Like Frank Burge had done in 1927, Peter in 1937 coached the St. George Dragons.

ee also

*Burge Family

References

* Andrews, Malcolm (2006) "The ABC of Rugby League", Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
* Whiticker, Alan (2004) "Captaining the Kangaroos", New Holland, Sydney
* Whiticker, Alan & Hudson, Glen (2006) "The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players", Gavin Allen Publishing, Sydney
* Whiticker, Alan & Collis, Ian (2006) "The History of Rugby League Clubs", New Holland, Sydney
* Heads, Ian & Middleton, David (2008) "A Centenary of Rugby League", MacMillan, Sydney.
* Howell, Max (2005) "Born to Lead: Wallaby Test Captains", Celebrity Books, Auckland, NZ.