Rodney Blake
Encyclopedia
Rodney Blake is a professional Australian rugby union
footballer. He plays prop for the Melbourne Rebels
. He previously played for Bayonne
in France. He is sometimes referred to as Rodzilla. His father Paul is a former Otago
flanker. In June 2006, Blake made his debut for the Wallabies
.
with his family when he was 13. He played for the West Harbour RFC
Juniors and was educated at Homebush Boys High School
. Blake was a member of the Australian Schools side, and he represented Australia under-21 world cup in Scotland.
He made his Queensland Reds Super Rugby debut against the Otago Highlanders . He was a regular in the Reds' line-up during the 2006 Super 14 season
. He was named in John Connolly
's Wallaby side, and made his test
debut against England
at Telstra Stadium
, playing the full 80 minutes. In the closing minutes of the match Blake charged over to score the final try of the game which saw Australia win 34 to 3. He was injured in the subsequent victory over England, and thus missed the following match against Ireland
. Blake missed the opening matches of the 2006 Tri Nations Series
but played for the Wallabies in a Bledisloe Cup
match against the All Blacks
in Brisbane.
In October 2006, he was named the Reds "Player of the Year" and awarded the Pilecki Medal
.
In 2009, after failing to secure a Super 14 contract in Australia, Blake moved to France and spent two seasons in the French Top 14 competition.
In 2010 Blake returned to Australia, joining the Melbourne Rebels
in preparation for the Rebels' 2011 Super Rugby season.
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. He plays prop for the Melbourne Rebels
Melbourne Rebels
The Melbourne Rebels are a professional rugby union team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia...
. He previously played for Bayonne
Aviron Bayonnais
Aviron Bayonnais is a French rugby union club from Bayonne in Pyrénées-Atlantiques that currently competes in the top level of the French league system, in the Top 14 competition...
in France. He is sometimes referred to as Rodzilla. His father Paul is a former Otago
Otago Rugby Football Union
The Otago Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union for the Otago Region of New Zealand. The union is based in the city of Dunedin, and its home ground is Forsyth Barr Stadium. The top representative team competes in the ITM Cup, New Zealand's top provincial...
flanker. In June 2006, Blake made his debut for the Wallabies
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...
.
Career
Blake moved to SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
with his family when he was 13. He played for the West Harbour RFC
West Harbour RFC
The West Harbour Rugby Football Club is a team in the Shute Shield, the premier club rugby union football competition in New South Wales.The club is based in Concord in the Inner West of Sydney, and play their home matches at Waratah Stadium, Concord Oval...
Juniors and was educated at Homebush Boys High School
Homebush Boys High School
Homebush Boys High School, founded in 1936, is a comprehensive public high school for boys. It is located in Homebush, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. Blake was a member of the Australian Schools side, and he represented Australia under-21 world cup in Scotland.
He made his Queensland Reds Super Rugby debut against the Otago Highlanders . He was a regular in the Reds' line-up during the 2006 Super 14 season
2006 Super 14 season
The 2006 Super 14 season started on Friday 10 February 2006. The Grand Final was held on Saturday 27 May 2006. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season was the first of the expansion, which saw two new teams, the...
. He was named in John Connolly
John Connolly (rugby)
John "Knuckles" Connolly is a rugby union coach and the former head coach of the Wallabies. Connolly has in the past worked with the Queensland Reds, Stade Français, Swansea RFC as well as Bath Rugby....
's Wallaby side, and made his test
Test match (rugby union)
Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....
debut against 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...
at Telstra Stadium
Telstra Stadium
Stadium Australia, currently also known as ANZ Stadium due to naming rights, formerly known as Telstra Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay...
, playing the full 80 minutes. In the closing minutes of the match Blake charged over to score the final try of the game which saw Australia win 34 to 3. He was injured in the subsequent victory over England, and thus missed the following match against Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
. Blake missed the opening matches of the 2006 Tri Nations Series
2006 Tri Nations Series
-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:* All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-External links:* * *...
but played for the Wallabies in a Bledisloe Cup
Bledisloe Cup
Rugby Union's Bledisloe Cup is contested by the Australia national rugby union team and New Zealand national rugby union team. It is named after Lord Bledisloe, the former Governor-General of New Zealand who donated the trophy in 1931. The trophy was designed in New Zealand by Nelson Isaac, and...
match against the All Blacks
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....
in Brisbane.
In October 2006, he was named the Reds "Player of the Year" and awarded the Pilecki Medal
Pilecki Medal
Pilecki Medal is the award given to the Queensland Reds player of the year for that season. The medal is named after stalwart QLD prop Stan Pilecki, the first player to represent QLD 100 matches.-Previous Winners:*2011 - Will Genia*2010 - Will Genia...
.
In 2009, after failing to secure a Super 14 contract in Australia, Blake moved to France and spent two seasons in the French Top 14 competition.
In 2010 Blake returned to Australia, joining the Melbourne Rebels
Melbourne Rebels
The Melbourne Rebels are a professional rugby union team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia...
in preparation for the Rebels' 2011 Super Rugby season.
External links
- Rodney Blake Melbourne Rebels profile