Joe Roff: Everything you need to know about the Wallabies legend

Lawrence Nolan
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Wallabies wing Joe Roff

Another of Australia’s golden era from the late 1990s to the early noughties, Joe Roff was a fixture on Australia’s wing for five years literally: from 1996 to 2001 he played in 62 consecutive Test matches.

But not only did his durability set him apart, also his finishing prowess was a factor, with his 1m 92cm and 100kg frame close to impossible to stop in a few metres of space.

In a nine-season international career he racked up 86 matches and 249 points (he could also be relied upon to kick a few clutch goals if required) before calling it a day at the relatively young age of 29.

He was a long-time holder of the Super Rugby try-scoring record and still holds the single-season record.

Player background

Roff was born into a teaching family in Victoria, but managed to avoid the Aussie Rules lures and progressed into rugby at an early age. He finished schooling at the Marist College in Canberra, where he was good enough to catch the eyes of the Australia schoolboys selectors. He also kept his studies going though and has received a Bachelor in Applied Finance from the University of Queensland.

Club career

After emerging at the Tuggeranong Vikings club in Canberra, Roff was a key part of the Brumbies in their heydays of the late 1990s and early noughties, contributing 588 points in 86 Brumbies matches.

After stepping down from international rugby in 2004 he headed to France to play for Biarritz for two seasons, before joining Kubota Spears in Japan. He received a place to do a PhD at Oxford University, which stopped his professional rugby career, but he was able to play in two Varsity matches during his time in Oxford, one of them as captain.

International career

Roff made his international debut in 1995 at the Rugby World Cup, scoring a try in a one-sided romp over Canada.

He quickly cemented his spot in the starting line-up and was one of the most reliable cogs in the Australia side that won the World Cup in 1999 and back-to-back Tri-Nations in 2000 and 2001.

But perhaps his finest hour was his match-turning performance in the second Test for Australia against the British and Irish Lions in 2001, when first his intercept and then a typically clinical finish late on ensured the hosts claimed a victory to level a series which looked to have been running away from them.

Of his 86 Tests, he started 79, while he also notched 18 conversions and 20 penalties in his career.

Personal life

Roff is extremely private. His brother Jake, a singer-songwriter, sadly passed away from cancer in 2015. He lives in Canberra with wife Sarah and three children. He is currently CEO of the University of Canberra.

Net worth

No information available.

READ MORE: Tim Horan: Everything you need to know about the Wallabies legend

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