Billy Burns (rugby union)

Billy Burns (born 13 June 1994) is a professional rugby union player who plays for Ulster and Ireland. His favoured position is fly-half. He is the younger brother of England rugby union team fly-half Freddie Burns. Born in England, Burns represented England for youth rugby union teams, before choosing to represent Ireland at the 2020 Six Nations Championship

Billy Burns
Birth nameWilliam Burns
Date of birth (1994-06-13) 13 June 1994
Place of birthBath, Somerset, England
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight86 kg (13.5 st; 190 lb)
SchoolBeechen Cliff School
Hartpury College
Notable relative(s)Freddie Burns (brother)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half, Fullback
Current team Ulster
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012–2018
2012–2013
2018–		 Gloucester
→ Hartpury (loan)
Ulster		 101
36
44		 (304)
(276)
(76)
Correct as of 10 January 2021
National team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)

2013–2014
2020–		 England U18
England U20
Ireland		 10
8
3		 (10)
(84)
(23)
Correct as of 29 November 2020

Early life and family

Burns was born and raised in Bath, Somerset, the youngest of four sons of Jerry Burns, the director of a plumbing company, and his wife Donna.[1] He attended Beechen Cliff School where he first started playing rugby union,[2] and studied at Hartpury College.[3]

Club career

Gloucester

A product of Gloucester Rugby's academy, Burns made his first team debut as a seventeen-year-old substitute in a loss to London Irish in the LV Cup in February 2012.[4][5] That year, he would also have success for the England Under 18 side, winning the European Championships held in Spain, scoring 7 points in the final against Ireland which England won 25 - 13.[6]

He had two loan spells at Hartpury College. In his first spell, in the 2012-13 season, he made 17 appearances in National League 2 South, scoring 71 points which included 6 tries, helping the club to 3rd place in the division.[7][8] He also made several appearances for Gloucester that season in the LV Cup, and was part of the sevens side that won the 2013 Premiership Rugby Sevens Series in the summer, scoring a conversion in the final victory against Leicester Tigers.[9] The following season he signed a new contract with Gloucester, and made debut appearances in the Heineken Cup and Aviva Premiership, but most of the season was spent back on loan at Hartpury College,[7][10] helping the club to win the 2013–14 National League 2 South league title and promotion to National League 1, and being one of the league's top points scorers with 205 points.[11][12] He was also called up by the England Under-20 team for the Six Nations.[13] In the summer he played a key role in England Under-20s victory at the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship held in New Zealand, scoring 11 points as England triumphed 21 - 20 over South Africa in the final.[14]

The following season Burns got more game time at Gloucester, accumulating 17 appearances across all competitions and making the bench for the side that won the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup.[15] In 2015-16 he made appearances at fly-half and full-back, before sustaining a knee injury against Wasps in March 2016, which ended his season.[16] He was Gloucester's first choice fly-half for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, but after the club signed Danny Cipriani, Burns asked to be released from the last year of his contract.

Ulster

Burns joined Ulster on a two-year contract in July 2018.[17] In the 2018-19 season Burns made 17 appearances in the Pro14, scoring 44 points,[18] and seven appearances in the Heineken Cup, scoring 10 points.[19] In the 2019-20 season he made 9 appearances in the Pro14, scoring 19 points,[18] and 7 appearances in the Heineken Cup, scoring 6 points.[19] In November 2019, having established himself in the Ulster team and formed a strong half-back parternership with John Cooney, he agreed a renewed contract until June 2022.[20]

International career

Burns is Irish-qualified by virtue of his paternal grandfather, who was born in Cork.[21][22][23] He was called up to an Ireland training camp by new head coach Andy Farrell in December 2019,[24] and was named in Ireland's 2020 Six Nations Championship squad but did not make an appearance.[25] He received his first cap in a victory against Wales in the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup, coming off the bench to replace an injured Johnny Sexton in the first half, only to be taken off for a head injury assessment in the second.[26][27] He made a second substitute appearance in a defeat against against England, replacing Ross Byrne,[28] before making his first international start and scoring his first international try in a win against Georgia.[29] He was named in the Ireland squad for the 2021 Six Nations tournament.[30]

Club Honours

Gloucester

Hartpury College

International Honours

England (U18)

England (U20)

References
  1. About Us, Roman Rod Plumbing and Drain Clearance
  2. "RUGBY AT BEECHEN CLIFF SCHOOL". Beechen Cliff School. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  3. "Hartpury's rugby roll of honour grows with class of 2015". Hartpury College. 6 August 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  4. "Teen star Burns gets his chance". Gloucester Citizen. 4 February 2012.
  5. "Hartpury try machine Ian has a debut to remember". Gloucester Citizen. 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  6. "Euro stars Burns, Moriarty help lift crown". Gloucester Citizen. 9 April 2012.
  7. "Billy Burns Record by competition". Rugby Statbunker. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  8. "English National League 2 - South Table". BBC News. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  9. "Gloucester Rugby champions of the J.P. Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s at The Rec". Gloucester Citizen. 9 August 2013.
  10. "Billy Burns agrees new deal with Gloucester Rugby". Gloucester Citizen. 1 December 2014. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  11. "Hartpury College RFC crowned National Two South champions". Hartpury College. 14 April 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  12. "National Two South 13/14 Leading scorers". Statbunker. 26 April 2014.
  13. "Ross Moriarty and Billy Burns named in Gloucester Under-20s side to face France in Six Nations". Gloucester Citizen. 29 January 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  14. "Junior World Championship: England 21-20 South Africa". BBC News. 20 June 2014.
  15. "REPORT: Gloucester hang on to take second title". epcrugby.com. 2 May 2015. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  16. "Billy Burns rues his luck at missing the end of Gloucester Rugby's season". Premiership Rugby. 18 April 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  17. "Billy Burns makes shock Gloucester Rugby departure as he joins Ulster to pursue World Cup dream with Ireland". Gloucestershire Live. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  18. Billy Burns' profile at Pro14Rugby
  19. Billy Burns' Heineken Cup profile, European Professional Club Rugby]
  20. "Ulster fly-half Billy Burns agrees new two-year deal to stay at province". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  21. "Pro14: New Ulster fly-half Billy Burns 'ambitious' to play for Ireland". 4 September 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  22. "Everything you need to know about Ulster's new fly-half Billy Burns". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  23. 'I'm in the squad but that doesn't mean I'm an international. I've to prove my worth', The42, 20 January 2020
  24. "Billy Burns and Tom O'Toole among nine Ulster players called into Ireland training squad". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  25. "Six Nations: Johnny Sexton to captain Ireland as Andy Farrell's reign begins". 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  26. Michael Glennon, Murray a 'genuine option' at out-half against England, RTÉ, 14 November 2020
  27. "Ireland pile pressure on Pivac as Wales slip to sixth straight defeat". The 42. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  28. Simon Thomas, England 18-7 Ireland: Jonny May scores superb try double as warning sent to Wales, Wales Online, 21 November 2020
  29. Michael Morrow, Ireland 23-10 Georgia: Irish secure second place in Autumn Nations Cup Group A, BBC, 29 November 2020.
  30. Ireland Squad Named For Guinness Six Nations, IRFU, 25 January 2021
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