Despite his expected retirement, Australian Coach Eddie Jones described Burke's axing from the NSW squad as an "independent event" – indicating some use for Burke at test level. Indeed, Burke did appear intermittently as a substitute in various roles, including fullback, for the Wallabies in the 2004 season. He played his last international test for the Wallabies on 21 August 2004 against South Africa, coming off the bench for the final six minutes – where he missed a penalty attempt (Australia lost 23 – 19). In 2006, in his last international appearance, he was starting fullback for the World XV Rugby team against the South African Springboks for their first 2006 game – contributing 17 points (5 pen, 1 con) in their 27 to 30 points loss.