Mark Bourneville

Mark Bourneville
Personal information
Full name Mark Trevor Bourneville
Nickname Horse
Born 30 June 1963
New Zealand
Playing information
Position Wing, Centre, Second-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1982–1989 Mount Albert Lions
Leigh
Swinton
Villeneuve
1990 St. Helens 5 0 0 0 0
1991–1994 Saint Estève
Total 5 0 0 0 0
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1982–1989 Auckland
1985 New Zealand 1
1993–1994 France

Mark Trevor "Horse" Bourneville[1] (born 30 June 1963 in New Zealand) is a former rugby league player. He represented both New Zealand and France in international rugby league and is the only dual-international the two countries share.

Early years

After playing for the Mt Albert club from age 18, Bourneville was selected for Auckland that same year.[2] He was involved in the 1984 Auckland Rugby League grand final which saw Mt Albert defeat Otahuhu for the Fox Memorial.[3] During his time in New Zealand, Bourneville was plagued by injuries and suffered two broken arms, knee ligament damage and a broken jaw.[2]

Professional career

In a long professional career Bourneville played for Leigh, Swinton and St. Helens in England and for Villeneuve and AS Saint Estève in France.[4] He was originally a winger but moved to the second row during his time in Europe.

After his retirement he moved back to New Zealand.

Representative career

Bourneville was named in the 1985 New Zealand Kiwis squad that toured Great Britain and France and played in one test match. He would have been selected again in 1986 but was unavailable due to injury.[4]

In 1993 he represented France, playing for the French against the Kiwis in Carcassonne. During the match he broke his arm and was forced to consider retiring.[5]

Fight for Life

Bourneville was a regular competitor in Dean Lonergan's Fight for Life charity boxing events and scored wins over rugby union players Steve McDowell, Va'aiga Tuigamala and Lindsay Raki.

Surf Lifesaver

Bourneville is now a surf lifesaver in Piha and competes in the national championships at the top level.[6] This role has seen his appear on Piha Rescue.[2]

Personal life

Bourneville's great grandfather and his wife are both French.[4]

References

  1. BOURNEVILLE, Mark Trevor 1985 - Kiwi #583 nzleague.co.nz
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mark Bourneville Sporting Contacts
  3. Ihaka, James (24 March 2007). "League stars drop in to farewell the good times". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Coffey and Wood The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League ISBN 1-86971-090-8
  5. Kearney may not play game again The Independent, 25 November 1993
  6. Control and endurance the key The Northern Advocate, 19 February 2007

External links