Burke hoping to leave legacy

Fly-half Paul Burke hopes to leave Harlequins with a double European legacy before heading back to Ireland to rejoin Munster during the summer.

He aims to take another step on the road to the first target, the Parker Pen Challenge Cup, when Harlequins, with a nine-point advantage from the quarter-final first leg, visit Connacht for the second leg tomorrow.

But Burke, who saw the guaranteed chance of Heineken Cup rugby in Europe’s premier club competition as one of several reasons to go back to his first senior club, said: “Quins also still have a chance to get into the Heineken Cup and I’ll be doing everything I can to help them achieve that before I leave.”

First up is the trip to the Galway Sportsground where, with additional temporary seating, Connacht will have a sell-out 6,500 crowd for the biggest match in the history of the province, the surprise side of this season’s Parker Pen competition.

After outscoring Connacht by four tries to one, Harlequins should have effectively had the quarter-final wrapped up at The Stoop a fortnight ago but they fell foul of Italian referee Giulio De Santis and paid the price for the penalties their forwards conceded.

“We’ll have Welsh officials this weekend which might suit us more,” said Burke.

“On the number of chances we probably should have had it won but Connacht are a very tenacious team.

“You don’t get to the quarter-finals of a European competition unless you know what you are doing.

“Connacht are very effective around the set pieces and we have got to be a little bit more streetwise.”

Harlequins could face an intimidating atmosphere both on and off the pitch but Burke, set to return after missing last weekend’s 43-20 Zurich Premiership victory over Rotherham because of a hip injury, said: “If we can improve a little bit on the first leg performance we should be okay.”

He is leaving Harlequins with some regrets and said: “Munster offered me a two-year deal and Harlequins only offered one.

“I’m 30 years old and you have to look after yourself and your family and make them your number one priority.

“What has happened at Quins has been a big part of my life over the last few years and I will be leaving with a lot of great memories but this sort of thing happens in professional sport.

“The Munster coach made me feel that they really wanted me and it is a fantastic opportunity at this stage of my career.”

With Ronan O’Gara wearing the number 10 shirt, Burke will find himself in the position of challenging for a place after being the first choice for most of his career with Bristol, Cardiff and Harlequins, but it is a prospect he is happy to face and one he hopes will lead him back into the Ireland squad.

“It will be a new experience because I’ve usually been the number one choice at my clubs. Ronan is a great player but I hope to push him all the way and put pressure on him,” added Burke.

“I will have to be on the top of my game and hopefully the situation will help me to improve my game. If I am playing well in Ireland regularly the selectors won’t be able to ignore me.”

But first comes the trip to Connacht and, despite being on the receiving end for much of the first leg, their coach Michael Bradley believes his side are far from out of contention.

“When you come away from a match having been outscored by four tries to one and you are only nine points behind you have to be happy,” he admitted.

“It’s all teed up nicely to get the Connacht crowd behind us and win by 10 points.

“With a nine-point lead, the odds are obviously in Harlequins favour. They scored four tries against us and showed they are a formidable side, with pace in the backs, who like to run the ball.”

But Bradley warned the visitors: “This Connacht team has gone away three times to France in the competition and been very competitive. It’s another challenge for us but we have met them all so far.”