Joe Roff
Encyclopedia
Joe Roff is a retired Australia
n rugby union
footballer and a product of the Tuggeranong Vikings Rugby Union Club
in Canberra, who played on the wing or at fullback for Brumbies and Australia
and played 5 tests as a centre in the early part of his test career. He also had a spell at the French club Biarritz
and in 2005-6 at Kubota Spears
in Japan's Top League
Of his 86 caps
, 62 were won in consecutive games from 1996 to 2001. His final game saw him captain Oxford
against Cambridge
in the 2007 Varsity Match
.
. He was also a student at Marist College Canberra
. Joe Roff's father, Glenn Roff, is Principal of St John's College, Woodlawn
on the Far North Coast of NSW. Joe's older brother, Jake, who also works at St John's College, Woodlawn, is a musical collaborator with Rupert McCall, putting his iconic Australian poems to music.
By 1996 he was a more regular feature in the starting test side before becoming a firm test player for the 1999 world cup win and the back to back tri nations wins of 2000 and 2001. He was also a capable goal kicker, kicking 18 penalties and 20 conversions in his test career.
Roff scored the intercept try in the second British Lions Test in 2001 which turned the test in Australia's before they went on to win the game, squaring the series. They went on to win the series. He was known for his blistering pace, deft touches, and work at the breakdown. Until March 2007 he was the top try scorer in Super Rugby before he was overtaken by Doug Howlett. He also holds the record for most tries in a Super 12 season, scoring 15 in 1997.
Midway through the super 12 season of 2004 he announced that he would retire at the end of the domestic international season. He was just 29 years old and had spent 10 years playing test rugby and amassed 86 test caps and 244 points. He farewelled the Brumbies in 2004 as the team took the Super 12 Final.
, UK
in October 2006 to read a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
at Harris Manchester College
. He also made a return to amateur rugby by playing for the Oxford University
(OURFC), colloquially known as the Dark Blues, representing the Blues in their traditional fixture against Cambridge
at Twickenham Stadium
on 12 December 2006. Oxford lost this match 15-6. On 6 December 2007, he captained the Blues to their third successive Varsity loss, losing 22-16 to Cambridge, before hanging up his boots for the last time.
During his years with the Wallabies, the rhyming slang term "Joe Roffie" gradually worked its way into to the Australian vernacular
, being an abbreviation for coffee
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 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...
footballer and a product of the Tuggeranong Vikings Rugby Union Club
Tuggeranong Vikings
The Tuggeranong Vikings are a rugby union club based in Tuggeranong, Australian Capital Territory. It is supported by 5 licensed clubs based in Wanniassa, Greenway, Conder, Chisholm and Narrabundah. The club has been successful in the local, and national competitions...
in Canberra, who played on the wing or at fullback for Brumbies and Australia
Australia 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...
and played 5 tests as a centre in the early part of his test career. He also had a spell at the French club Biarritz
Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Aquitaine which competes in the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup...
and in 2005-6 at Kubota Spears
Kubota Spears
Kubota Spears is a Japanese rugby union team which is based in Funabashi, Chiba and they play in the Top League.Their slogan for the 2006 season was FIGHT ON.-2011-12 Squad:...
in Japan's Top League
Top League
The Top League is a professional rugby union league created by the Japan Rugby Football Union to drive up the overall standard and popularity of the sport in the country and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team. The first season was 2003-04 and featured 12 teams...
Of his 86 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
, 62 were won in consecutive games from 1996 to 2001. His final game saw him captain Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
against Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in the 2007 Varsity Match
The Varsity Match
The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England. By tradition, the match is held on the second Tuesday of December. In 2005, however, this changed, and the match was on Tuesday 6 December. In 2007, it was held on a Thursday for...
.
Early life
For a time, he attended The Armidale School in Armidale New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. He was also a student at Marist College Canberra
Marist College Canberra
Marist College Canberra is an all-boys independent Catholic school school founded in 1968. The college is situated on 15 hectares and located in the Australian Capital Territory, Canberra. The college provides boys from years 4-12 with a well-rounded education. Founded by Marist Brothers, it...
. Joe Roff's father, Glenn Roff, is Principal of St John's College, Woodlawn
St John's College, Woodlawn
St John's College, Woodlawn is a Catholic systemic secondary school, located in the rural area of "Woodlawn" on the outskirts of Lismore, New South Wales, Australia....
on the Far North Coast of NSW. Joe's older brother, Jake, who also works at St John's College, Woodlawn, is a musical collaborator with Rupert McCall, putting his iconic Australian poems to music.
Rugby career
After a successful junior career he was selected at age 19 for Australia's 1995 world cup squad, making his debut against Canada and scoring a try, followed by another 2 against Romania.By 1996 he was a more regular feature in the starting test side before becoming a firm test player for the 1999 world cup win and the back to back tri nations wins of 2000 and 2001. He was also a capable goal kicker, kicking 18 penalties and 20 conversions in his test career.
Roff scored the intercept try in the second British Lions Test in 2001 which turned the test in Australia's before they went on to win the game, squaring the series. They went on to win the series. He was known for his blistering pace, deft touches, and work at the breakdown. Until March 2007 he was the top try scorer in Super Rugby before he was overtaken by Doug Howlett. He also holds the record for most tries in a Super 12 season, scoring 15 in 1997.
Midway through the super 12 season of 2004 he announced that he would retire at the end of the domestic international season. He was just 29 years old and had spent 10 years playing test rugby and amassed 86 test caps and 244 points. He farewelled the Brumbies in 2004 as the team took the Super 12 Final.
Oxford University
Roff matriculated at the University of OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in October 2006 to read a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, politics, and economics is a popular interdisciplinary undergraduate/graduate degree which combines study from the three disciplines...
at Harris Manchester College
Harris Manchester College, Oxford
Harris Manchester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Formerly known as Manchester College, it is listed in the University Statutes as Manchester Academy and Harris College, and at University ceremonies it is called Collegium de Harris et...
. He also made a return to amateur rugby by playing for the Oxford University
Oxford University RFC
The Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.-History:...
(OURFC), colloquially known as the Dark Blues, representing the Blues in their traditional fixture against Cambridge
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, or CURUFC, is the rugby union club of Cambridge University, and plays Oxford University in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham stadium every December. CURUFC players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest...
at Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
on 12 December 2006. Oxford lost this match 15-6. On 6 December 2007, he captained the Blues to their third successive Varsity loss, losing 22-16 to Cambridge, before hanging up his boots for the last time.
Other
In January 2007, he won the "United Kingdom-based Young Australian of the Year for 2007" for his services to Australian Rugby in general.During his years with the Wallabies, the rhyming slang term "Joe Roffie" gradually worked its way into to the Australian vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
, being an abbreviation for coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
.
External links
- Wallabies Profile
- University of Southern Queensland profile
- University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
http://www.ox.ac.uk - Oxford University Rugby Football ClubOxford University RFCThe Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.-History:...
- Rugby-Heroes.net
- Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum