Joe Rokocoko
Encyclopedia
Josevata Taliga "Joe" Rokocoko ' onMouseout='HidePop("26998")' href="/topics/Nadi">Nadi
, Fiji
) is a professional New Zealand
rugby union
player. Rokocoko is known for his speed and strength which has accounted for his prolific try strike rate. He is a specialist left-winger but has occasionally played on the right wing for the All Blacks
.
and he attended James Cook High School
. He later won a scholarship to Saint Kentigern College
, where he was a member of the 2001 National Secondary Schools team. After an outstanding career with New Zealand international sides at the under-16, under-19, and under-21 level, he started playing Super 12
rugby.
. He made his first appearance for the All Blacks on 14 June 2003 against England
. He had a high strike rate for the All Blacks
, scoring 25 tries in his first 20 tests, and breaking the All Blacks single-season record for test tries previously shared by Jonah Lomu
and Christian Cullen
—his 17 test tries scored in 2003 equals the world record held by Daisuke Ohata
of Japan
. The International Rugby Players' Association named him new player of the year in 2003. His incredible speed has been seen many times throughout his career. On 19 June 2004, in the All Blacks' second 2004 test with England, Rokocoko shredded the England defence for three tries in a 36–12 All Blacks victory over the reigning Rugby World Cup
champions.
Rokocoko returned to the All Blacks line-up for the 2005 Tri Nations Series
, punctuating his comeback with a two-try effort in the All Blacks' pivotal home fixture against South Africa
. By the end of the 2006 season he had scored 35 tries in 39 test matches. To date he has scored 46 tries in 68 tests, including 4 hat-tricks in his career: against France
(2003), Australia
(2003), England (2004) and Romania
(2007). He scored his first try since the 2007 Rugby World Cup
against Italy
in June 2009. In 2011, after 68 games for New Zealand and 96 for the Blues, he signed with Aviron Bayonnais
of the Top 14
Rokocoko is a cousin of former Auckland Blues and All Black winger Joeli Vidiri
and NPC
, Super 12, and New Zealand sevens
player and current Fiji sevens
coach, Iliesa Tanivula
. He and fellow All Black wing Sitiveni Sivivatu
regard themselves as "cousins" as Sivivatu lived with the Rokocoko family, but they are not actual cousins.
. They have a son called Cypress Rokocoko. In November 2006, Rokocoko asked New Zealand rugby management to list his name on team releases as Josevata, his Christian birth name, as opposed to Joe.
Nadi
Nadi is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Indian or Fijian, along with a large transient population of foreign...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
) is a professional New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rugby union
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...
player. Rokocoko is known for his speed and strength which has accounted for his prolific try strike rate. He is a specialist left-winger but has occasionally played on the right wing for 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....
.
Early life
Rokocoko migrated to New Zealand with his family at the age of 5, settling in South AucklandSouth Auckland
South Auckland is an imprecisely defined area of Auckland, New Zealand, often stereotyped as a socio-economically disadvantaged, and sometimes rough, urban area with a relatively large Polynesian and Māori population. The name South Auckland is not an official place name but is in common use by New...
and he attended James Cook High School
James Cook High School
James Cook High School is a State Co-Ed Secondary School in the South Auckland suburb of Manurewa, New Zealand.-Sports:* James Cook High School has sported many high Profile athletes over the years including Joe Rokocoko, Joe Galuvao and Scott Dixon...
. He later won a scholarship to Saint Kentigern College
Saint Kentigern College
Saint Kentigern College is a private, co-educational Presbyterian secondary school in the Pakuranga suburb of Manukau City in the Auckland region of New Zealand, beside the estuary of the Tamaki Estuary...
, where he was a member of the 2001 National Secondary Schools team. After an outstanding career with New Zealand international sides at the under-16, under-19, and under-21 level, he started playing Super 12
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
rugby.
Professional Career and the All Blacks
Rokocoko played for the Blues in the 2003 Super 12 season2003 Super 12 season
The 2003 Super 12 season was the eighth season of the Super 12, contested by teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The season ran from February to May 2003, with each team playing all the others once. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams entered the playoff semi...
. He made his first appearance for the All Blacks on 14 June 2003 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...
. He had a high strike rate for 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....
, scoring 25 tries in his first 20 tests, and breaking the All Blacks single-season record for test tries previously shared by Jonah Lomu
Jonah Lomu
Jonah Tali Lomu, MNZM is a New Zealand rugby union player. He had sixty-three caps as an All Black after debuting in 1994. He is generally regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby union. He has had a huge impact on the game...
and Christian Cullen
Christian Cullen
Christian Mathias Cullen is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played most of his rugby at fullback for New Zealand , for the Hurricanes in the Super 12, and for Manawatu, Wellington and later Munster at first-class level. He was nicknamed the Paekakariki Express...
—his 17 test tries scored in 2003 equals the world record held by Daisuke Ohata
Daisuke Ohata
Daisuke Ohata is a former Japanese rugby union player. He usually played rugby at wing, and sometimes centre, for Japan national rugby union team. He made his name internationally as a speedy ace in the IRB World Sevens Series, and went on to become a regular member of the national team...
of Japan
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
. The International Rugby Players' Association named him new player of the year in 2003. His incredible speed has been seen many times throughout his career. On 19 June 2004, in the All Blacks' second 2004 test with England, Rokocoko shredded the England defence for three tries in a 36–12 All Blacks victory over the reigning Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
champions.
Rokocoko returned to the All Blacks line-up for the 2005 Tri Nations Series
2005 Tri Nations Series
-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round Five:-Round Six:-External links:* at Rugby.com.aurugby union schedule for 2005...
, punctuating his comeback with a two-try effort in the All Blacks' pivotal home fixture against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. By the end of the 2006 season he had scored 35 tries in 39 test matches. To date he has scored 46 tries in 68 tests, including 4 hat-tricks in his career: against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
(2003), Australia
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...
(2003), England (2004) and Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
(2007). He scored his first try since the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
in June 2009. In 2011, after 68 games for New Zealand and 96 for the Blues, he signed with Aviron Bayonnais
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...
of the Top 14
Rokocoko is a cousin of former Auckland Blues and All Black winger Joeli Vidiri
Joeli Vidiri
Joeli Vidiri is a retired Fijian rugby union footballer who also played for the All Blacks. He played as a wing.-Career:...
and NPC
National Provincial Championship
The National Provincial Championship, or NPC, is the major domestic rugby competition in New Zealand. The NPC has seen many alterations to its format and brand. Since 2006 the National Championship has been split into 2 competitions, the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship...
, Super 12, and New Zealand sevens
New Zealand national rugby union team (sevens)
The New Zealand national rugby union sevens team is the New Zealand representative team in rugby union sevens and competes in the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-IRB Sevens:...
player and current Fiji sevens
Fiji national rugby union team (sevens)
The Fiji Sevens side is one of the most popular and successful Sevens teams in the world and has won the Hong Kong Sevens a record nine times since its inception in 1976. Fiji has also won the Sevens World Cup twice, winning that event in 1997 and 2005...
coach, Iliesa Tanivula
Iliesa Tanivula
Iliesa Tanivula is a former New Zealand sevens player and the current coach of the Fiji sevens team. Tanivula could play most positions in the backline...
. He and fellow All Black wing Sitiveni Sivivatu
Sitiveni Sivivatu
Sitiveni Waica Sivivatu is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, playing on the position of a wing. He was largely successful in the 2005 Super 12 season playing for the Chiefs, and acquired a starting position in the All Blacks. He has scored 29 tries in 45 tests...
regard themselves as "cousins" as Sivivatu lived with the Rokocoko family, but they are not actual cousins.
Personal life
In January 2008, Rokocoko got married to his long-time sweetheart Beverly Politini, the daughter of Howard Politini, a Major in the Fiji Military. The wedding was attended by a large number of All BlacksAll 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....
. They have a son called Cypress Rokocoko. In November 2006, Rokocoko asked New Zealand rugby management to list his name on team releases as Josevata, his Christian birth name, as opposed to Joe.
Trivia
- Rokocoko has a standing 40 metre sprint time of 4.44 seconds
- Rokocoko scored his 99th First-class try against the ForceWestern ForceWestern Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super Rugby competition. They first competed in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in that year, however their performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
in the 2010 Super 14 season2010 Super 14 seasonThe 2010 Super 14 season kicked off in February 2010 with pre-season matches held from mid-January. It finished on 29 May. The 2010 season was the fifth and last season of the expanded Super 14 format. The schedule, which covers 3½ months, featured a total of 94 matches, with each team playing one...
. He has scored 46 tries for the All BlacksAll BlacksThe New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
, 19 for Auckland and 35 for the Blues.