Name Mark Bourneville | ||
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Mark Trevor "Horse" Bourneville (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.
Contents
- Early years
- Professional career
- Representative career
- Fight for Life
- Surf Lifesaver
- Personal life
- References
Early years
After playing for the Mt Albert club from age 18, Bourneville was selected for Auckland that same year. He was involved in the 1984 Auckland Rugby League grand final which saw Mt Albert defeat Otahuhu for the Fox Memorial. During his time in New Zealand, Bourneville was plagued by injuries and suffered two broken arms, knee ligament damage and a broken jaw.
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. 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.
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.
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 McDowall, 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. This role has seen him appear on Piha Rescue.
Personal life
Bourneville's great grandfather and his wife are both French.