Joe Roff

Joe Roff
Date of birth (1975-09-20) 20 September 1975
Place of birth Heathcote, Victoria
Height 192 cm (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Weight 100 kg (15 st 10 lb)
School The Armidale School
Marist College Canberra
University University of Southern Queensland
University of Oxford
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position Wing / Fullback
Amateur clubs
Years Club / team
Tuggeranong Vikings
Professional / senior clubs
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2001–2002
2005–2006		 Biarritz Olympique
Kubota Spears
Provincial/State sides
Years Club / team Caps (points)
1994-2004 ACT 82 (520)
correct as of 22 June 2014.
Super Rugby
Years Club / team Caps (points)
1996–2004 Brumbies 86 (588)
correct as of 22 June 2014.
National team(s)
Years Club / team Caps (points)
1996–2004
1992–1993		 Australia
Australian Schoolboys		 86 (249)
correct as of 22 June 2014.

Joe Roff (born 20 September 1975, in Melbourne) is a retired Australian 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.

Early life

For a time, he attended the Armidale School in Armidale, New South Wales. He was also a student at Marist College Canberra. Joe Roff's father, Glenn Roff, was Principal of St John's College, Woodlawn.

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.

Education

Roff's secondary education was at The Armidale School in Armidale, New South Wales, and Marist College Canberra[2] that has a proud rugby tradition.

Roff was awarded a Bachelor of Applied Finance from the University of Southern Queensland.[2]

Oxford University

Roff matriculated at the University of Oxford, UK in October 2006 to read Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Harris Manchester College. He was also involved in the Oxford Union.[2]

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.

Later career

In June 2012, the University of Canberra Union (student body) announced that Roff had been appointed as its CEO with effect from July 2012, noting that Roff was leaving a management position with Lifeline Australia and had previously been a consultant with The Nous Group.[2]

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.[3][4]

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 .

References

  1. ↑ "2001 Australian Wallabies squad - British & Irish Lions Tour". rugby.com.au. Australian Rugby Union. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 UCU appoints Joe Roff as CEO, Amanda Jones, University of Canberra, 14 June 2012
  3. ↑ Roff is the UK`s `young Australian` Tuesday 30 January 2007 - Rugby News, Results, Fixtures and Features from Planet-Rugby.com
  4. ↑ Australia Day Foundation Party 2007 (includes award photograph)

External links

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