Michael Burak (born October 9, 1980 in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

) is a Canadian former international

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

footballer. He won 29 caps for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

between 2004 and 2009.

Early career

Originally a standout basketball player at

Lord Byng Secondary School Lord Byng Secondary School is a public secondary school located in the West Point Grey neighbourhood on the west side of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The school opened in 1925 and was named in honour of The Lord Byng of Vimy, a hero of Vi ...

, Burak played for two seasons at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

. After being cut from the men's varsity basketball squad in the 2000-2001 preseason, Burak switched to the UBC men's varsity rugby program, under head coach Spence McTavish. McTavish had coached Burak for the Lord Byng rugby team. Burak quickly became a regular for the varsity XV, despite not having played rugby since his high school days. In 2002-03, Burak was part of a powerful UBC XV that went undefeated in league play on the way to the provincial first division title. The team also featured future Canadian internationals Chris Pack, Ryan McWhinney and Eric Wilson.

Travel to Australia and professional rugby

After graduation in 2003, he travelled to Australia to watch the

2003 Rugby World Cup The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup. Originally planned to be hosted by India, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the Indian Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup ...

. Determined to make the Canadian team, Burak returned to Vancouver after the world cup and played for the UBC Old Boys Ravens; the premier XV lost in the provincial final to

Capilano RFC The Capilano Rugby Football Club is a Canadian rugby union team based in West Vancouver, British Columbia. The Capilano Rugby Football Club currently play in the British Columbia Premiership and have won the BC Premier Championship three times. ...

. The following summer he made his debut for Canada at the

2004 Churchill Cup The 2004 Churchill Cup was held between 14 June and 21 June 2004 in Calgary and Edmonton, Canada. It was the second edition of the Churchill Cup competition. The three original rugby union teams taking part in the men's competition: Canada, Engla ...

. In 2005, he moved to Sydney, where he spent a season playing for Northern Suburbs RFC in the

Shute Shield The Shute Shield is a semi-professional rugby union competition in Sydney, Australia. It is the premier club competition in New South Wales. The Shute Shield is awarded to the winning team from the Sydney premiership grand final held at the end ...

. Having established himself as a regular for the national team, Burak signed with Pau in the summer of 2006. He spent two seasons with the southern France club. In 2008, Burak moved to England and signed with

Cornish Pirates The Cornish Pirates ( kw, An Vorladron Gernewek) are a professional rugby union team who play in the Championship, the second level of the English rugby union pyramid, and are the premier Cornish rugby club. Formerly known as Penzance & Newlyn ...

. Following a season in the southwest, Burak returned to Vancouver and the UBCOB Ravens. He played for

at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

External links

Rugby World Cup
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burak, Mike 1980 births Canada international rugby union players Living people Rugby union players from Vancouver University of British Columbia alumni Canadian expatriate rugby union players Expatriate rugby union players in England Expatriate rugby union players in France Canadian expatriate sportspeople in France Canadian expatriate sportspeople in England UBC Thunderbirds basketball players Rugby union locks