When Owen Farrell made the mid-winter bombshell that he had agreed to move to Paris for the summer, Nick Kennedy knew he had to act fast to launch an urgent search for someone to fill the glaring void.
For the Saracens head of recruitment and former England lock, this was the ultimate and unexpected challenge. How to find a replacement for a legend who was captain for club and country and a prolific record-breaking Test centurion.
As if that wasn’t difficult enough, it had to be done on short notice when most transfer deals had already been concluded in the Premier League and beyond.
Two and a half months later the Saracens had their man. Fergus Burke. So how did the London club identify a little-known New Zealander on these shores (who is eligible for England and Scotland) as a suitable candidate for the onerous task of stepping into Farrell’s shoes? Kennedy had to present a list of viable options to his director of rugby Mark McCall and general manager Phil Morrow. And he had to do so in a hurry.
“We weren’t looking for a first-choice fly-half until Owen told Mark and Phil that he wanted to experience something different,” he told Mail Sport. ‘They didn’t want to stand in his way, so from January onwards we were suddenly on the market.
Saracens knew they had to act quickly when Owen Farrell announced his departure.
The club brought in little-known New Zealander Fergus Burke for the unenviable role of replacing Farrell.
Saracens head of recruitment and former England lock Nick Kennedy was tasked with presenting a list of viable options to his director of rugby.
‘We now have a list of available players for every position, and because the list changes every week, we have to quickly call all our agents to see who are still available and refresh the list.
‘I sent my current list to Mark and Phil, came up with the top 10 and then started observing and discussing them. I watched as many highlight reels as I could before watching the entire game.
‘We first talked about what we had in-house and what would fit the squad. Should we wait a year to sign a new flyhalf instead now? We were also looking at who was coming through the academy. This is about making the right decision for the long-term health of the club.’
The dilemma for Saracens management was whether to find a proven figure who could fill the role closest to what Farrell offered, or someone who could make them a long-term asset in their image. Somehow, they chose the latter, knowing that no one can tick all the boxes like a Farrell clone.
‘We agreed early on that we were not going to look at the similarities,’ Kennedy said. ‘Owen is a unique player and his position within the group was unique. There will always be someone else.
‘We were discussing what attributes would be lost, what would need to be filled and what could be filled internally. For example, Owen was our captain. Should we have brought in another captain? No, we didn’t need a leader because there are many good leaders.
‘We looked at the specific traits that the top 10 players had, and then we went through a process of observing more and more and talking to more people to figure out their personalities. So we kept narrowing it down.’
This is where Kennedy’s endless hours spent watching rugby and chatting with friends and acquaintances came in very handy. He says he’s ‘discovering’ hundreds of thousands of players worldwide. This means navigating through the Premiership, United Rugby Championship, Top 14, Super Rugby and domestic rugby between New Zealand and South Africa.
Saracens knew they couldn’t sign a comparable replacement, so they brought in someone they could mold instead.
He will be sitting in front of his laptop analyzing footage from international under-20 and under-18 club matches. Last week he took part in the Championship match of London Scottish v Coventry and played a school match the next day. Wellington v Harrow. Afterwards, he caught up with Saracens’ players from Fiji and Samoa to see how they were doing at the Pacific Nations Cup. He has an ‘in-depth chart’ of every position and currently has 110 locks, with plans to reduce them in the coming months.
Tips are encouraged through phone contact, highlight videos, or LinkedIn. We all follow up just in case. This is not top-tier football where formal scouting networks exist. Kennedy must rely on the connections and friendships he has built over the years through his travels.
“I’d like to build a scouting network with someone in New Zealand, Australia or South Africa,” he said. ‘But at the moment it’s a very informal scouting network made up of people I’ve played with or met over the years. I have many friends who can help me and point me in the right direction.’
Human instinct is considered more important than artificial intelligence or mountains of data. ‘We look at the statistics,’ Kennedy added. ‘But data has always taken a backseat to us. It’s good to know, but it’s about what we see and hear and what we feel when we see it.’
Back to Burke. The references were all positive, so a virtual conversation took place. “We met Fergus on Zoom and he was an impressive character,” Kennedy said. ‘It was the first time they (the players) asked us to meet again! He wanted to know more about what we do and whether it would be a good fit for him and his partner Millie.’
McCall was heavily involved during this stage of the process. He was impressed by footage of Burke in action with the Crusaders, Canterbury and New Zealand Under 20s, and his positive view was further reinforced by how they came across when they spoke.
To the Saracens, human instinct is considered more important than artificial intelligence or vast amounts of data, and was used extensively in Burke’s recruitment process.
‘We saw a player on the field who was cautious, calm and unhurried,’ the Ulsterman said. ‘We love it in Paris Van. When we talked to him, everything we saw was supported. We felt he was the perfect fit for us. ‘It’s about bringing in someone who can grow in a team where there are a lot of players of similar age, like 25 or 26 years old.’
Saracens concluded that Burke was ideal for their needs, but the Kiwi No 10 had to decide whether a move to the other side of the world would suit his career. “It was a really big decision for him,” McCall said. ‘It was a difficult decision for him to leave and as he had never been to the UK before he was entitled to a second conversation with us.
‘We had a few more coaches and people working with him on that call, just to give him a taste of who he would be working with and what it would be like.’
Burke grew up in Gisborne, northeast New Zealand. A skilful young player, he was regarded as an ‘outstanding footballer’ and his rugby prospects soared when he moved to St Paul’s College in Hamilton. From there he joined the Crusaders academy where he developed into a fly-half who could also play at full-back.
Saracens did not attempt to find a clone of Farrell, but chose someone with a similar physique and a willingness to embrace the physicality of the sport. “He’s a very skilful fly-half, he’s got speed, but he’s also a courageous defender, which we like at Saracens,” Kennedy said.
McCall is encouraged that the new signing is, like his predecessor, a calm leader and decisive presence, but also someone who can attack and offload the line.
Of course, the tricky problem he faces at Saracens is being judged against Farrell, but Burke is comfortable with the pressure.
‘I went through something similar this year. ‘With Richie Mo’unga (All Blacks’ star flyhalf) leaving the team,’ he said of having another icon to emulate during his time at the Crusaders. ‘I’m my own player but I have ultimate respect for what Owen has done.’
New Zealand had big plans for Burke. He was considered a Test prospect. “Fergus has done a great job so far,” Scott Robertson, who left Christchurch to take charge of the All Blacks, said in a speech last year. He knows the 10 will get to him and he’s had a good apprenticeship.’
Mark McCall (left) is encouraging of the new signing, saying he is a calm leader and a determined presence.
All Blacks manager Scott Robertson spoke glowingly of Saracens star Burke last year.
When it was announced that Burke would be leaving to join Saracens, Robertson’s successor at the Crusaders Rob Penney said: ‘I’m really disappointed. But he made an informed decision. He was given several opportunities and made that choice for many reasons. We wish him well. Who knows if he will come back.’
Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge had an even sharper response: ‘Obviously we wanted him to stay and that’s the message he got loud and clear from us. He has three options in terms of expression: It’s either the All Blacks, England or Scotland, and he seems to have chosen the England-Scotland route.’
However, there remains some goodwill for the young player who lost the best part of the season to injury and chose to try his luck abroad. All Blacks assistant coach Scott Hansen worked with Burke at the Crusaders and told Mail Sport: ‘We’re really excited about Fergus and the opportunities he may have with Saracens.
‘Fergus is a natural leader and a very good game tactician. ‘Replacing a club legend like Owen Farrell is a huge challenge, but I know Fergus is up to the challenge.’
All Blacks assistant coach Scott Hansen worked with Burke at the Crusaders and told Mail Sport he is excited about Burke’s future opportunities with Saracens.
The 25-year-old, who has caps for England and Scotland, made a solid debut in Saracens’ win over Gloucester last week.
Burke made a solid debut as Saracens beat Gloucester last weekend. For McCall it was an early glimpse of what he was seeing from the New Zealand recruit. ‘He plays clearly and calmly.’
A home debut awaits against Sale on Saturday. Although it is still early days, Kennedy will be encouraged by the fact that with all the analysis and references available, a satisfactory solution has been found in response to the recruitment emergency.
