Joseph Roff showed early promise in his youth as he was selected to play for Australian Schools, Australian Under 19s and Under 21s, Australian Sevens and the Emerging Wallabies.
Roff has often being described as a try-scoring machine, he showed his talent from a young age and he was an uncapped selection in the 1995 Australian Rugby World Cup squad, aged 19. He scored on his international debut against Canada and followed that up with 2 tries against Romania. By 1996 Roff was a regular in the Wallabies starting line-up and by the time the next World Cup he had cemented his position and helped his side to their 2nd Rugby World Cup title.
He still holds the record as the Brumbies’ all-time leading try scorer and up until the end of the 2006 Test season, had scored 36 tries for the Wallabies.
Although Roff was known for his try scorer ability, he also a very capable kicker, kicking 18 penalties and 20 conversions in his test career.
Roff scored an interception try in the second British Lions Test in 2001 which turned the test in Australia's favour as they went on to win the game, squaring the series. He was known for his blistering pace, deft touches, and work at the breakdown.
In 2001 Joe Roff went overseas and played a season with French club Biarritz, which helped them to win that year’s French national championships. After only one month in France, the Wallabies elected him as “French translator” during their tour of Europe and the British Isles.
In his remarkable career, he has had the honour of playing the most number of consecutive Tests for Australia (62) and at the age of 24 he was the youngest Australian player to have played 50 Tests.
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, at the age of 29, he announced that he would retire at the end of the domestic season and had already spent 10 years playing test rugby and amassed 86 test caps and 244 points.
Roff ended his career with 249 test points from 86 appearances, scoring 31 tries, 20 conversions and 18 penalties.
JW April 2017
Career
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Biarritz Olympique Fullback |
2001 - 2002 |
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ACT Brumbies Fullback |
1996 - 2004 |
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Australia Fullback |
1996 - 2004 |
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Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay Fullback |
2005 - 2006 |
