So much so he is the only Otago player picked in the national teams to journey to Scotland next month to play in the Touch World Cup.
Burden (30) has been picked in the New Zealand over 30s mixed touch team to defend its title in Edinburgh.
He will turn 31 before the event.
It was not an easy path into the national 30s side for the Kaikorai Valley College year seven teacher.
He was training hard with the Otago side to go to the national championships in Christchurch in March, where the national side would be picked.
But with the earthquake in the garden city, the championships were cancelled and a trial was then scheduled for Auckland.
So Burden had to pay his own way there and then spend a day of hard work impressing the selectors before he made the team to go to Scotland.
"I had my fingers crossed that I would make it. I did not have any play at the nationals to fall back on," he said.
Burden is part of a 16-strong team which will play 11 games in a couple of days at the World Cup, defending its title.
Australia is expected to be its biggest rival.
Touch at the highest level has six players, with three males and three females on the field at any one time.
Such is his dedication to the sport he is teased that he suffers from TCD - touch compulsive disorder - and admits it is a sport he loves.
"I play three nights a week and then coach every other night. It's just something that I really enjoy doing. The coaching can be really rewarding when you see kids you coach make it into New Zealand teams."
He has coached many teams at national tournaments and had more than a dozen players make New Zealand sides.
Surprisingly, for someone who loves the touch sport, he has never played rugby or league seriously.
"When I was at school I always played basketball and got introduced to touch and never really looked back from there.
"It helps having speed, without a doubt, but you have to have good knowledge of the game. At that next level you've got to be able to read a game, be able to manipulate a defence, have good agility all the time."
Fitness was obviously a key.
He was training hard, running up sand hills to get strength into his legs, as another training camp is scheduled for Christchurch later this month with a final camp in Auckland early next month.
He will be joined at the World Cup by Dunedin's Simon Buttery, who has been picked as a referee for the tournament.
