University at Buffalo Rugby alumni Will Burke said his life has been a whirlwind since an unexpected introduction to the sport of rugby in 2014.
“It has been a wild ride, man,” Burke offered – and it is bound to continue for at least another year as he continues on his first season as a member of Rugby ATL (Atlanta, GA), one of the 12 franchises of the Major League Rugby professional league.
Burke, a four-year standout at the University of Buffalo, is part of an elite group of American-born rugby players to make it to the pro ranks. The 6-foot-1, 255-pound former high school football player and wrestler is a tighthead prop, a position that calls for serious strength and power. Burke said he has received quite a few lumps since taking up the sport in his freshman year at UB.
“No major injuries but I broke my nose three times and I’ve dislocated about every one of my fingers and broken a couple,” he said. “And I separated my shoulder once in college, but as far as semi-professional and professional, I’ve not. It’s probably the most physical sport, in my opinion, for a contact sport next to wrestling or mixed martial arts.”
The physicality is no more pronounced than at the front of the scrum or lineout. “My main job is to anchor down the scrum against the opposing team – win the scrum or secure the ball if it’s our scrum,” he said. “It has changed over the years, and now the props are the most physical guys on the field. They’re in charge of making a lot of tackles and taking hard lines.”
Burke said he didn’t know much about the sport as he entered UB, but that all changed one day when he was walking through the student union.
“A guy came up to me and asked me if I was on the football team, and I said no. And he said why don’t you come out and try to play rugby. I kind of debated about it a little bit and I remember calling my brother, and asking him if he thought this is worth my time,” he recalled.
He decided to attend a practice session and kept coming back. After a few weeks, he was in the UB Rugby starting lineup and playing in a game against the Army team at West Point.
“I think I played 15 minutes and the next game I played a whole half (40 minutes) and by the third game, I was starting,” he said. “And I haven’t looked back from there.”
Burke played rugby all four years at UB, where he was captain of the squad for two of the seasons. He earned honorable mention for All-Conference in Rugby East and also was selected for the All-Conference Rugby East first team.
From there, he traveled to play some exhibition games as MLR attempted to organize into a full-fledge pro league, and also competed with the Buffalo Rugby Club, helping the team to a national ranking of seventh in Men’s D2 rugby.
He then was invited to play for a junior team in Ireland, but ran into visa issues and abruptly had to return to the states.
“I had to be sent home, leaving 90 percent of my stuff there,” he said. “I had a Republic of Ireland visa but was staying in Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK.”
Devastated over the turn of events, Burke regrouped and caught on with the MLR’s Rugby United New York team during its training camp as a “trial player” (the equivalent of a walk-on).
“I spent the rest of my savings on an Airbnb as one of 11 trial players (at the camp) in Staten Island,” he said. “I was the only one to get a contract.”
Burke played well in the first two games of the 2020 MLR season that was shortened due to COVID-19. As a free agent, he then decided to sign a one-year contract with the expansion Dallas Jackals only to see the team postpone their start in the league for a year due to Covid-19. A free agent once again, Burke signed on with Rugby ATL this spring.
Nearly 85 percent of the players in Major League Rugby are foreigners, which makes it tough for American-born players to make it, Burke said.
“The truth is that it is really hard for American guys to get that far, but it’s starting to happen with the developmental teams that look for Americans that can play rugby,” he explained, adding that the foreign players (from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and others) are experienced and raise the quality of competition.
Burke said he loves the sport “because of the culture and camaraderie that didn’t match any team sport I played before.”
“Rugby is unlike any other team sport in the world, you truly need all 15 men on the pitch working together to find success. It is a shoulder to shoulder sport with no room for arrogant and cocky players,” he said.
UB Rugby Head Coach Mike Hodgins said Burke has put in the time and effort to be successful as a professional.
“Will is positioned at the front of the scrum, where bulk and strength are needed,” said Hodgins, who has coached at UB since 2009 and also coaches varsity rugby at McQuaid High School in Rochester. “He definitely has a bright future as long as he stays healthy.”
Burke said his goals include competing on the world stage.
“There’s a chance to go and play for the national team in the next World Cup or the following World Cup – that’s every four years. So, that would be another thing and another pay raise if I can eventually prove myself in this league and then I could make the World Cup team and play for my country,” he said.
The next Rugby World Cup tournament is set for 2023 in France.
Portions of this article were written by Mike Pettinella and originally appeared in the December 28, 2020 edition of The Batavian. The original article can be found here.
Photo courtesy of Rugby ATL of Major League Rugby
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