Senior Wallaby Matt Burke says he hasn't given up on his international rugby career after being overlooked for the Wallabies training squad on Thursday. National coach Eddie Jones said it was far from a death-knell for players left out of a 22-man squad of New South Wales and Queensland players selected for a skills session here next week. The 76-Test veteran was the most notable omission with former Test centres Steve Kefu and Nathan Grey also overlooked for the preliminary squad. Burke, 31, who had a mixed Super 12 season with the under-achieving NSW Waratahs, said he felt his form warranted selection. "It's disheartening not to be chosen in the squad, knowing whom they've picked ... you want to put yourself in contention to be picked and show some form and I thought I was accomplishing that but it's contrary to what other people thought," Burke said on Thursday. "The shoulder injury wasn't the greatest timing but when I got a chance to play I thought I was playing reasonably well." Burke and Waratahs teammate Grey will leave on Monday to play for the Barbarians against Scotland, Wales and England later this month. The Barbarians, coached by former Wallabies and NSW coach Bob Dwyer, play Scotland at Murrayfield on May 22, Wales at Bristol on May 26 and England at Twickenham on May 30. Burke, Australia's most capped fullback, is contracted to the Australian Rugby Union until the end of the year, but he is now under pressure to have it renewed for 2005 if an option is not taken up by the ARU and NSW Rugby. "Like everyone playing in the Super 12 I still aspire to play for my country," Burke said. "I'm waiting for them to come back to me in terms of whether they want me, if I'm in NSW's plans for next year. "I think there's still life in the legs and I have something to offer. "If that's not the case I suppose I'll have to canvass stuff overseas." Jones said the Wallabies squad, to be announced on May 25, was far from cut and dried and pointed to Burke's early omission from the Test lineup last year. "Burkie was also not in the squad at the start of last year and ended up playing the first Test of the Tri-nations against South Africa so any player who's outside the squad there's still very much the ability for them to get into back into it," Jones said on Thursday. "This is just a squad for one day of training and then depending on what happens with the Brumbies, we'll will name another squad and then it continues onwards, it's just one selection." Australia train-on squad (minus ACT players still in Super 12): Al Baxter, Brendan Cannon, Matt Dunning, Justin Harrison, David Lyons, Morgan Turinui, Lote Tuqiri, Cameron Shepherd, Dan Vickerman, Phil Waugh, Chris Whitaker (New South Wales); Sean Hardman, Nathan Sharpe, John Roe, David Croft, Luke Doherty, Josh Valentine, Elton Flately, Wendell Sailor, Peter Hynes, Drew Mitchell, Chris Latham (Queensland).
(No headline) 2688
13th May 2004
Senior Wallaby Matt Burke says he hasn't given up on his international rugby career after being overlooked for the Wallabies training squad on Thursday. National coach Eddie Jones said it was far from a death-knell for players left out of a 22-man squad of New South Wales and Queensland players selected for a skills session here next week. The 76-Test veteran was the most notable omission with former Test centres Steve Kefu and Nathan Grey also overlooked for the preliminary squad. Burke, 31, who had a mixed Super 12 season with the under-achieving NSW Waratahs, said he felt his form warranted selection. "It's disheartening not to be chosen in the squad, knowing whom they've picked ... you want to put yourself in contention to be picked and show some form and I thought I was accomplishing that but it's contrary to what other people thought," Burke said on Thursday. "The shoulder injury wasn't the greatest timing but when I got a chance to play I thought I was playing reasonably well." Burke and Waratahs teammate Grey will leave on Monday to play for the Barbarians against Scotland, Wales and England later this month. The Barbarians, coached by former Wallabies and NSW coach Bob Dwyer, play Scotland at Murrayfield on May 22, Wales at Bristol on May 26 and England at Twickenham on May 30. Burke, Australia's most capped fullback, is contracted to the Australian Rugby Union until the end of the year, but he is now under pressure to have it renewed for 2005 if an option is not taken up by the ARU and NSW Rugby. "Like everyone playing in the Super 12 I still aspire to play for my country," Burke said. "I'm waiting for them to come back to me in terms of whether they want me, if I'm in NSW's plans for next year. "I think there's still life in the legs and I have something to offer. "If that's not the case I suppose I'll have to canvass stuff overseas." Jones said the Wallabies squad, to be announced on May 25, was far from cut and dried and pointed to Burke's early omission from the Test lineup last year. "Burkie was also not in the squad at the start of last year and ended up playing the first Test of the Tri-nations against South Africa so any player who's outside the squad there's still very much the ability for them to get into back into it," Jones said on Thursday. "This is just a squad for one day of training and then depending on what happens with the Brumbies, we'll will name another squad and then it continues onwards, it's just one selection." Australia train-on squad (minus ACT players still in Super 12): Al Baxter, Brendan Cannon, Matt Dunning, Justin Harrison, David Lyons, Morgan Turinui, Lote Tuqiri, Cameron Shepherd, Dan Vickerman, Phil Waugh, Chris Whitaker (New South Wales); Sean Hardman, Nathan Sharpe, John Roe, David Croft, Luke Doherty, Josh Valentine, Elton Flately, Wendell Sailor, Peter Hynes, Drew Mitchell, Chris Latham (Queensland).