James Roby
Encyclopedia
James Roby is an English professional rugby league
footballer for St. Helens of Super League
. A Great Britain and England international representative hooker, he has played his entire professional career to date at St Helens, winning the 2006 Super League XI
Championship with them.
after progressing through the academy ranks at St Helens. Roby's position is usually as a hooker and has plenty of experience already, playing alongside some of the greats of the game including Keiron Cunningham
. Roby has made a massive impact for St. Helens and has played over 50 games for them.
In Super League X
, he was narrowly beaten to the Young Player of The Year. St Helens see James as one of the brighter prospects and he seems a perfect replacement for Keiron Cunningham when he retires, so much so that St. Helens were willing to allow Mickey Higham
to leave the club and Roby was given a more active role in the team.
in the 2006 Challenge Cup
and was rewarded for his performances by being called up to the Tri Nations
squad and he made his international debut during the tour against Australia and New Zealand
. He holds the honour of scoring the first try at the new Wembley Stadium
, scored during St Helens' victory over Catalans Dragons
in the Challenge Cup
final on 25 August 2007. Roby also won the 'Man Of Steel' award in October 2007 after being judged to have had the most impact on the Super League XIII season, being the youngest player to ever win the award, and also becoming the third St Helens player in a row to win the accolade from 2005–2007, with Jamie Lyon (2005) and Paul Wellens (2006) winning the award previously.
Roby attended Cowley Language College from 1997 - 2002 then went on to the Sixth Form. He also went on to Liverpool John Moores University
studying Sports Science but dropped out in his first year to concentrate on his rugby.
He played for the North West Counties Under 18's with other legends of the game such as Tim Hartley, Stuart Hide, Martin Lewis and Adam Teece.
He has become somewhat of a cult hero in rugby league, due to a video of him on youtube
miming the words to Mike + The Mechanics Over My Shoulder, with references being made at matches and on television.
He played in the 2008 Super League Grand Final defeat to the Leeds Rhinos
.
He was named in the England squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
. In the opening game of the tournament England defeated Papua New Guinea, with Roby being named the man-of-the-match.
He was selected to play for England against France in the one-off test in 2010.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer for St. Helens of Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
. A Great Britain and England international representative hooker, he has played his entire professional career to date at St Helens, winning the 2006 Super League XI
Super League XI
Engage Super League XI was the official name for the year 2006's Super League season in the sport of rugby league in Europe. Bradford Bulls were looking to retain the title they won in Super League X....
Championship with them.
Career
Roby made his debut in 2004 against the Widnes VikingsWidnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
after progressing through the academy ranks at St Helens. Roby's position is usually as a hooker and has plenty of experience already, playing alongside some of the greats of the game including Keiron Cunningham
Keiron Cunningham
Keiron Cunningham is a former British professional rugby league footballer. A Great Britain and Wales international representative hooker, he played his entire club rugby career at St...
. Roby has made a massive impact for St. Helens and has played over 50 games for them.
In Super League X
Super League X
engage Super League X is the official name of 2005's Super League season. It was the 10th season of Super League and saw twelve teams from across England compete for the premiership. The season kicked off in early February, culminating in a six team play-off seriesThe Grand Final, held at Old...
, he was narrowly beaten to the Young Player of The Year. St Helens see James as one of the brighter prospects and he seems a perfect replacement for Keiron Cunningham when he retires, so much so that St. Helens were willing to allow Mickey Higham
Mickey Higham
Mickey Higham is an English rugby league player who currently plays for English club Warrington Wolves in the Super League competition...
to leave the club and Roby was given a more active role in the team.
Major competitions
Roby was an integral part of the St. Helens side that defeated the Huddersfield GiantsHuddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
in the 2006 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
and was rewarded for his performances by being called up to the Tri Nations
Rugby League Tri-Nations
The Rugby League Tri-Nations was a rugby league tournament involving the top three nations in the sport: Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand...
squad and he made his international debut during the tour against Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
. He holds the honour of scoring the first try at the new Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, scored during St Helens' victory over Catalans Dragons
Catalans Dragons
The Catalans Dragons are a French professional rugby league club based in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales. They currently play in the Super League, and are the only team in the competition from outside of the United Kingdom...
in the Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final on 25 August 2007. Roby also won the 'Man Of Steel' award in October 2007 after being judged to have had the most impact on the Super League XIII season, being the youngest player to ever win the award, and also becoming the third St Helens player in a row to win the accolade from 2005–2007, with Jamie Lyon (2005) and Paul Wellens (2006) winning the award previously.
Roby attended Cowley Language College from 1997 - 2002 then went on to the Sixth Form. He also went on to Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University is a British 'modern' university located in the city of Liverpool, England. The university is named after John Moores and was previously called Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts and later Liverpool Polytechnic before gaining university status in 1992, thus...
studying Sports Science but dropped out in his first year to concentrate on his rugby.
He played for the North West Counties Under 18's with other legends of the game such as Tim Hartley, Stuart Hide, Martin Lewis and Adam Teece.
He has become somewhat of a cult hero in rugby league, due to a video of him on youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
miming the words to Mike + The Mechanics Over My Shoulder, with references being made at matches and on television.
He played in the 2008 Super League Grand Final defeat to the Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
.
He was named in the England squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
. In the opening game of the tournament England defeated Papua New Guinea, with Roby being named the man-of-the-match.
He was selected to play for England against France in the one-off test in 2010.