Jason Robinson
Encyclopedia
Jason Thorpe Robinson OBE
(born 30 July 1974 in Leeds
, West Yorkshire
) is an English
former international rugby union
and rugby league
player of the 1990s and 2000s. Playing at wing or fullback, he won fifty-one rugby union international test caps in total for England
, and in rugby league
he won twelve caps for Great Britain
and seven for England
. Throughout his career Robinson was noted for his acceleration.
On 25 February 2009 it was announced that Robinson had agreed a contract to return to Sale Sharks
as Head Coach from the end of the 2008-09 season replacing Kingsley Jones who moves upstairs to fill the vacancy left by the departing Frenchman
Philippe Saint-André
.
On the 26 July 2010, Robinson came out of retirement after a 3 year absence to play for League Two side Fylde. On 7 July 2011, Robinson announced his retirement from the game of rugby after one season with National League One club Fylde
.
career in 1991 at semi-professional side Hunslet Hawks
. Despite being offered a contract by Leeds
, he stuck by his side, as it would have meant leaving at an inconvenient time. He was later rewarded by a contract with Wigan
who went on to dominate British rugby league. His form quickly establishing him in Wigan's first team, as a teenager he was touted as a future halfback or loose forward. He was selected to play on the wing for Wigan against the visiting Brisbane Broncos
in the 1992 World Club Challenge
.
In 1993 Robinson played in his first Challenge Cup
Final, with Wigan defeating Widnes. Later that year at age 19 Robinson was first selected to represent Great Britain
on the wing against New Zealand.
After the 1993–94 Rugby Football League season Robinson travelled with defending champions Wigan
to Brisbane, playing on the wing in their 1994 World Club Challenge
victory over Australian premiers, the Brisbane Broncos
.
It was reported in 1995 that Robinson was offered a 4-year deal worth a record £1.25 million by the Australian Rugby League
to play down under for the South Sydney Rabbitohs
at the end of the 1997 season. He recovered from a foot injury to play in Wigan's 30-10 Challenge Cup Final victory over Leeds, scoring two tries and earning himself the Lance Todd Trophy
as man-of-the-match.
In 1996, rugby union had gone open, allowing professional players for the first time, and rugby league
went from a winter sport to a summer sport, so a number of league players chose to play part of a season for a rugby union
club. Robinson agreed to play for Bath
.
In the midst of the Super League war
, Robinson played a one-off international for a "Rest of the World" team in their 28-8 loss against the Australian Rugby League
's Kangaroos in mid-1997. With his contracted move to Sydney set to take place at the conclusion of the 1997 season, Robinson had had a change of heart and Wigan were abe to negotiate his release from the ARL's contract so he could continue playing for his club. He then scored a try for Great Britain in each of the three matches against Australia in the post-season Super League Test series
.
In 1998 Robinson scored Wigan's sole try in Super League's first ever Grand Final
, which the Cherry & Whites won. As a result he was awarded the Harry Sunderland Trophy
as man-of-the-match. He was also named on the wing in the 1998 season's Super League Dream Team
and again in 1999 and 2000.
Robinson played at fullback in Wigan's loss to St Helens in the 2000 Super League Grand Final
. Days after the match, it was announced that he had signed for the Zurich Premiership's Sale Sharks rugby union
side, with Robinson citing the lack of anything left to prove in rugby league and the desire to represent England and Great Britain in the 15-man code.
team Sale Sharks
against Coventry in November 2000. In the 2005/6 season he became the first person to have lifted both the Guinness Premiership
and the Super League
trophies.
debut as a substitute against Italy
in February 2001, having played in the A match against Wales at Wrexham a fortnight earlier. In doing so he was only the second man ever to play rugby union for England after having first played Rugby League for Great Britain (the first having been Barrie-Jon Mather
in 1999).
He has scored 30 tries in 56 international matches, including a memorable dash to touch down in the 2003 World Cup final against Australia. He played in all seven of England’s World Cup games in 2003.
In the 2007 Rugby World Cup Jason Robinson remained one of the few consistent players in the pool stage and despite getting a hamstring
injury in England's disappointing pool clash against South Africa came back to play in an unexpected victory over Australia. Robinson continued this form in the semi-final against hosts France where he was given the honour of leading his side out to earn his 50th cap. England won the match 14-9 to earn themselves an unlikely Final place and a chance for Robinson to bow out of the game at the highest level. Unfortunately he suffered an injury and was substituted after 46 minutes with England eventually losing 6-15 to South Africa. He had announced his retirement before the world cup.
's international retirement in 2005, Jonny Wilkinson
was initially appointed captain. However, Wilkinson was injured for the 2005 autumn internationals and Robinson was appointed captain. He was the 118th captain of England, the first mixed-race player and the first former rugby league player to captain England. In his first appearance as captain, he scored a hat-trick
of tries
in a 70-0 wipeout of Canada
.
In the 2004 Six Nations
, he scored three tries playing as a centre in the opening match against Italy and was named Man of the Match
. Robinson chose to opt out of the 2004 summer tour to recharge his batteries.
The choice of Robinson as captain came in for some criticism after leading England's poor 2005 Six Nations campaign
, in which they lost more games than they won for the first time since 1983.
fullback Chris Latham
. He went on to score another try in the final Test.
Robinson was again called up to the Lions' 2005 tour of New Zealand
. He was excused from travelling with the bulk of the touring party in order to spend time with his wife, who was expecting the couple's fourth child in August. Throughout his career, he normally brought his wife and children along when he went on a tour, but her pregnancy made this impossible for the 2005 tour. He joined the team on 7 June, well in advance of the first New Zealand
test on 25 June.
to their first ever Premiership
title.
to recall him to provide the leadership and winning quality the team had lacked in recent months, ending a 15 month absence from the international scene. He scored two tries on his return in England's opening victory over Scotland. He also scored another try against the Italians
the following week.
On 2 April 2007, Robinson announced he would retire from playing club rugby at the end of the 2006/07 season. He also announced he would participate, if required, in England's summer friendlies and the 2007 Rugby World Cup, before retiring completely from the sport. His last game for Sale Sharks came at home to Bath on Friday 13 April. Robinson said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sale Sharks but the time has come to move on to other things. I want my last game for Sale Sharks to be a home game (v Bath) and want to be able to say a big thank you to the supporters of this great club.”
On 13 April 2007, Robinson ended his club career with a match-winning try 6 seconds from time as Sale edged past Bath in the Guinness Premiership. In the last play of the game, he received the ball 30 metres out and could not be stopped. He was then given the opportunity to convert the try, only to miss by a matter of inches past the left post.
On 14 September 2007, Robinson left the field to a standing ovation during England's defeat by South Africa, with a hamstring injury. This kept him out of England's remaining two group games, but he resumed full training in time to be available to play in the knock-out stages. In the quarter final against Australia, Robinson returned to the side as full back and played his part in a tense 12-10 victory over the wallabies. In the Semi-Final win against France, his 50th cap, he was given the honour of leading out the England team. Robinson's final game for England came in the 2007 World Cup Final loss to South Africa, when he was forced to leave the field during the second half, due to an injury. He was one of only four players to have started both the 2003 and 2007 RWC Finals, the other three being Jonny Wilkinson
, Ben Kay
and Phil Vickery.
Robinson was selected to play for the Barbarians
at Twickenham on 1 December 2007, Robinson showed many of his trademark lightning runs and received a standing ovation as he left the field for the last time in the 68th minute of the match.
. He announced his final retirement on 7 July 2011.
announced that Robinson would be returning to rugby league in a coaching capacity at grass roots level from under 8's to open age for the England national side
becoming a dual code ambassador for the sport in association with Gillette.
On 25 February 2009 it was announced that Robinson would be re-joining Sale Sharks as the new head coach from the 2009-10 season.
He is of Scottish
and Jamaican heritage.
Robinson is nicknamed 'Billy Whizz
' after a character in the British comic The Beano
, who is extremely fast. He is a recovering alcoholic who became a Christian
partly due to the influence of ex-Wigan Warriors team-mate Va'aiga Tuigamala
.
Already a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours
.
After the 2003 Rugby World Cup, Robinson wrote an autobiography entitled Finding My Feet: My Autobiography published by Coronet Books. In it, he wrote about how he overcame issues from his childhood and bouts of drinking when he found success as a rugby league star.
In 2005, a biography, The Real Jason Robinson, written with Jason's full co-operation by Dave Swanton, was published by Empire Publications.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 30 July 1974 in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player of the 1990s and 2000s. Playing at wing or fullback, he won fifty-one rugby union international test caps in total for England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
, and in rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
he won twelve caps for Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
and seven for England
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
. Throughout his career Robinson was noted for his acceleration.
On 25 February 2009 it was announced that Robinson had agreed a contract to return to Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
as Head Coach from the end of the 2008-09 season replacing Kingsley Jones who moves upstairs to fill the vacancy left by the departing Frenchman
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
Philippe Saint-André
Philippe Saint-André
Philippe Georges Saint-André is a former French rugby union footballer who earned 69 test caps for France between 1990 and 1997, 34 of them as captain. His preferred position was wing but he could also play at Fullback. After retiring, Saint-André found success as a rugby coach in both England and...
.
On the 26 July 2010, Robinson came out of retirement after a 3 year absence to play for League Two side Fylde. On 7 July 2011, Robinson announced his retirement from the game of rugby after one season with National League One club Fylde
Fylde Rugby Club
Fylde Rugby Union Club is a rugby union club based in Lytham St Annes, on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, England. Its home venue is the Woodlands Memorial Ground on Blackpool Road in Ansdell...
.
Rugby league
Robinson began playing rugby as a child at the Hunslet Boys Club and then Hunslet Parkside before starting his rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
career in 1991 at semi-professional side Hunslet Hawks
Hunslet Hawks
Hunslet Hawks is a professional rugby league club based in Hunslet, West Yorkshire, England. The club, sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium, are currently champions of Championship One.-History:-Early years:...
. Despite being offered a contract by Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
, he stuck by his side, as it would have meant leaving at an inconvenient time. He was later rewarded by a contract with Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
who went on to dominate British rugby league. His form quickly establishing him in Wigan's first team, as a teenager he was touted as a future halfback or loose forward. He was selected to play on the wing for Wigan against the visiting Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
in the 1992 World Club Challenge
1992 World Club Challenge
The 1992 World Club Challenge match was contested by the 1991–92 Rugby Football League season champions Wigan and the 1992 NSWRL season's premiers, the Brisbane Broncos...
.
In 1993 Robinson played in his first Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
Final, with Wigan defeating Widnes. Later that year at age 19 Robinson was first selected to represent Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
on the wing against New Zealand.
After the 1993–94 Rugby Football League season Robinson travelled with defending champions Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
to Brisbane, playing on the wing in their 1994 World Club Challenge
1994 World Club Challenge
The 1994 MMI World Club Challenge was a replay of the 1992 World Club Challenge, with 1993–94 Rugby Football League season champions Wigan facing the 1993 NSWRL season premiers, the Brisbane Broncos, this time in Australia. Wigan were clearly the dominant club in the English game, having won the...
victory over Australian premiers, the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
.
It was reported in 1995 that Robinson was offered a 4-year deal worth a record £1.25 million by the Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
to play down under for the South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
at the end of the 1997 season. He recovered from a foot injury to play in Wigan's 30-10 Challenge Cup Final victory over Leeds, scoring two tries and earning himself the Lance Todd Trophy
Lance Todd Trophy
The Lance Todd Trophy is awarded to the Man-of-the-Match in rugby league football's Challenge Cup Final.The trophy was introduced in 1946, in memory of Lance Todd, the New Zealand-born player and administrator, who was killed in a road accident during the Second World War...
as man-of-the-match.
In 1996, rugby union had gone open, allowing professional players for the first time, and rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
went from a winter sport to a summer sport, so a number of league players chose to play part of a season for a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club. Robinson agreed to play for Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
.
In the midst of the Super League war
Super League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
, Robinson played a one-off international for a "Rest of the World" team in their 28-8 loss against the Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
's Kangaroos in mid-1997. With his contracted move to Sydney set to take place at the conclusion of the 1997 season, Robinson had had a change of heart and Wigan were abe to negotiate his release from the ARL's contract so he could continue playing for his club. He then scored a try for Great Britain in each of the three matches against Australia in the post-season Super League Test series
Super League Test series
The Super League Test series was a three-Test match series between the Great Britain national rugby league team and Super League's Australian national team held during November 1997 in England...
.
In 1998 Robinson scored Wigan's sole try in Super League's first ever Grand Final
1998 Super League Grand Final
The 1998 JJB Super League Grand Final was the first Grand Final of the Super League era, held on Saturday 24 October 1998, at Old Trafford, Manchester, United Kingdom. This was the first time the Rugby Football League Championship had been decided by play-off since the 1972–73 Rugby Football League...
, which the Cherry & Whites won. As a result he was awarded the Harry Sunderland Trophy
Harry Sunderland Trophy
The Harry Sunderland Trophy is awarded to the Man-of-the-Match in the Super League Grand Final by the Rugby League Writers' Association. It is named after Harry Sunderland, who was an Australian rugby league football administrator in both Australia and the United Kingdom...
as man-of-the-match. He was also named on the wing in the 1998 season's Super League Dream Team
Super League Dream Team
The Super League Dream Team is an award given each season to the players deemed to have been the best in their position in the Super League by a panel of journalists and broadcasters....
and again in 1999 and 2000.
Robinson played at fullback in Wigan's loss to St Helens in the 2000 Super League Grand Final
2000 Super League Grand Final
The 2000 Super League Grand Final was held on Saturday 14 October 2000, at Old Trafford, Manchester, England. The game was played between St Helens and Wigan Warriors. Wigan wore blue for the encounter and St Helens wore their traditional red and white. The match was refereed by Russell Smith of...
. Days after the match, it was announced that he had signed for the Zurich Premiership's Sale Sharks rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
side, with Robinson citing the lack of anything left to prove in rugby league and the desire to represent England and Great Britain in the 15-man code.
Rugby union
He made his debut for rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
against Coventry in November 2000. In the 2005/6 season he became the first person to have lifted both the Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
and the Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
trophies.
National team
Robinson made his EnglandEngland national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
debut as a substitute against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
in February 2001, having played in the A match against Wales at Wrexham a fortnight earlier. In doing so he was only the second man ever to play rugby union for England after having first played Rugby League for Great Britain (the first having been Barrie-Jon Mather
Barrie-Jon Mather
Barrie-Jon Mather is a former Great Britain national rugby league team and England Rugby Union International player. He is best known for being the first Great Britain Rugby League International Player to be capped by England at Rugby Union...
in 1999).
He has scored 30 tries in 56 international matches, including a memorable dash to touch down in the 2003 World Cup final against Australia. He played in all seven of England’s World Cup games in 2003.
In the 2007 Rugby World Cup Jason Robinson remained one of the few consistent players in the pool stage and despite getting a hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury in England's disappointing pool clash against South Africa came back to play in an unexpected victory over Australia. Robinson continued this form in the semi-final against hosts France where he was given the honour of leading his side out to earn his 50th cap. England won the match 14-9 to earn themselves an unlikely Final place and a chance for Robinson to bow out of the game at the highest level. Unfortunately he suffered an injury and was substituted after 46 minutes with England eventually losing 6-15 to South Africa. He had announced his retirement before the world cup.
Captaincy
After Lawrence DallaglioLawrence Dallaglio
Lorenzo Bruno Nero "Lawrence" Dallaglio, OBE is a retired English rugby union player and former captain of the English national team. He played as a flanker or number eight for London Wasps and never played for another club, having arrived at Sudbury as a teenager...
's international retirement in 2005, Jonny Wilkinson
Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...
was initially appointed captain. However, Wilkinson was injured for the 2005 autumn internationals and Robinson was appointed captain. He was the 118th captain of England, the first mixed-race player and the first former rugby league player to captain England. In his first appearance as captain, he scored a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
of tries
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
in a 70-0 wipeout of Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
.
In the 2004 Six Nations
2004 Six Nations Championship
The 2004 Six Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-tenth series of the northern...
, he scored three tries playing as a centre in the opening match against Italy and was named Man of the Match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
. Robinson chose to opt out of the 2004 summer tour to recharge his batteries.
The choice of Robinson as captain came in for some criticism after leading England's poor 2005 Six Nations campaign
2005 Six Nations Championship
The 2005 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the sixth series of the Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
, in which they lost more games than they won for the first time since 1983.
The Lions
Robinson was chosen for the 2001 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia and was one of the outstanding players in the side that won the first Test in Brisbane 29-13. In that game he sidestepped past AustralianAustralia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
fullback Chris Latham
Chris Latham (rugby player)
Chris Latham is an Australian rugby union player, who played fullback for the Worcester Warriors, following a long career with the Queensland Reds and Australia....
. He went on to score another try in the final Test.
Robinson was again called up to the Lions' 2005 tour of New Zealand
2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing 7 tour matches against first and second division clubs from the National Provincial Championship series, 1 tour match against the national New Zealand all Māori club, and 3 official test...
. He was excused from travelling with the bulk of the touring party in order to spend time with his wife, who was expecting the couple's fourth child in August. Throughout his career, he normally brought his wife and children along when he went on a tour, but her pregnancy made this impossible for the 2005 tour. He joined the team on 7 June, well in advance of the first New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
test on 25 June.
International retirement
On 24 September 2005, Robinson announced his retirement from international rugby union, stating that he wished to spend more time with his family. In the 2005–2006 season, Robinson led his club Sale SharksSale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
to their first ever Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
title.
Return
Robinson returned to the England set-up for the 2007 Six Nations tournament, following the decision of new Head Coach Brian AshtonBrian Ashton (rugby player)
William Brian Ashton MBE is a former rugby union player and the former Head Coach of the England and Ireland national rugby union teams.-Biography:...
to recall him to provide the leadership and winning quality the team had lacked in recent months, ending a 15 month absence from the international scene. He scored two tries on his return in England's opening victory over Scotland. He also scored another try against the Italians
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
the following week.
On 2 April 2007, Robinson announced he would retire from playing club rugby at the end of the 2006/07 season. He also announced he would participate, if required, in England's summer friendlies and the 2007 Rugby World Cup, before retiring completely from the sport. His last game for Sale Sharks came at home to Bath on Friday 13 April. Robinson said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sale Sharks but the time has come to move on to other things. I want my last game for Sale Sharks to be a home game (v Bath) and want to be able to say a big thank you to the supporters of this great club.”
On 13 April 2007, Robinson ended his club career with a match-winning try 6 seconds from time as Sale edged past Bath in the Guinness Premiership. In the last play of the game, he received the ball 30 metres out and could not be stopped. He was then given the opportunity to convert the try, only to miss by a matter of inches past the left post.
On 14 September 2007, Robinson left the field to a standing ovation during England's defeat by South Africa, with a hamstring injury. This kept him out of England's remaining two group games, but he resumed full training in time to be available to play in the knock-out stages. In the quarter final against Australia, Robinson returned to the side as full back and played his part in a tense 12-10 victory over the wallabies. In the Semi-Final win against France, his 50th cap, he was given the honour of leading out the England team. Robinson's final game for England came in the 2007 World Cup Final loss to South Africa, when he was forced to leave the field during the second half, due to an injury. He was one of only four players to have started both the 2003 and 2007 RWC Finals, the other three being Jonny Wilkinson
Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...
, Ben Kay
Ben Kay
Benedict James Kay MBE is a retired English international rugby union footballer who played Second row forward for Leicester Tigers and .-Background:...
and Phil Vickery.
Robinson was selected to play for the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
at Twickenham on 1 December 2007, Robinson showed many of his trademark lightning runs and received a standing ovation as he left the field for the last time in the 68th minute of the match.
Fylde
On the 26 July 2010, Jason called himself out of retirement at the age of 35 to play for National League Two side, FyldeFylde Rugby Club
Fylde Rugby Union Club is a rugby union club based in Lytham St Annes, on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, England. Its home venue is the Woodlands Memorial Ground on Blackpool Road in Ansdell...
. He announced his final retirement on 7 July 2011.
Coaching career
On 5 March 2008 the RFLRugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
announced that Robinson would be returning to rugby league in a coaching capacity at grass roots level from under 8's to open age for the England national side
England national rugby league team
The England national rugby league team represent England in international rugby league football tournaments. The team has now seen a revival, having largely formed from the Great Britain team, who also represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The team is run under the auspices of the Rugby Football...
becoming a dual code ambassador for the sport in association with Gillette.
On 25 February 2009 it was announced that Robinson would be re-joining Sale Sharks as the new head coach from the 2009-10 season.
Personal life
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
and Jamaican heritage.
Robinson is nicknamed 'Billy Whizz
Billy Whizz
Billy Whizz is a fictional character featured in the British comic The Beano, first appearing in issue 1139, dated 16 May 1964, when it replaced The Country Cuzzins. Billy, the title character, is a boy who can run extraordinarily fast. His speed often causes chaos yet at the same time his ability...
' after a character in the British comic The Beano
The Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
, who is extremely fast. He is a recovering alcoholic who became a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
partly due to the influence of ex-Wigan Warriors team-mate Va'aiga Tuigamala
Va'aiga Tuigamala
Va'aiga Lealuga Tuigamala MNZM is a Samoan rugby footballer. As well as playing for the All Blacks, he represented Samoa in both rugby union and rugby league, playing at centre and wing...
.
Already a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours
New Year Honours 2008
The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced on 29 December 2007, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2008....
.
After the 2003 Rugby World Cup, Robinson wrote an autobiography entitled Finding My Feet: My Autobiography published by Coronet Books. In it, he wrote about how he overcame issues from his childhood and bouts of drinking when he found success as a rugby league star.
In 2005, a biography, The Real Jason Robinson, written with Jason's full co-operation by Dave Swanton, was published by Empire Publications.
External links
- Jason Robinson Wigan Career Page on the CherryandWhite.co.uk Wigan RL Fansite.
- England profile
- Jason Robinson photo 1 by sportingheroes.net
- Jason Robinson photo 2 by sportingheroes.net
- Jason Robinson feature at bbc.co.uk
- International Statistics at englandrl.co.uk
- Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org