Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'At least my player rating is good': Joe Rokocoko's take on arguably his crowning rugby achievement

Joe Rokocoko at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. (Photo by Manuel Blondeau via Getty Images)

A World Cup title, a Lions series win, a Super Rugby championship. There are some accomplishments in the world of professional rugby that only a minority of players are ever able to achieve.

ADVERTISEMENT

But there’s another feat that’s even more difficult to realise – one which only a few rugby stars in the past three decades have been able to tick off.

Former Blues and All Blacks wing Joe Rokocoko is one such man.

Video Spacer

Writer Tom Vinicombe chats with former All Blacks winger Joe Rokocoko about his time in France and coming through the Auckland Blues playing with Carlos Spencer.

Video Spacer

Writer Tom Vinicombe chats with former All Blacks winger Joe Rokocoko about his time in France and coming through the Auckland Blues playing with Carlos Spencer.

When EA Sports published the widely revered Rugby 2005 video game over a decade and a half ago, Rokocoko was asked to grace the cover for the New Zealand edition of the game.

It was a request that Rokocoko has admitted seemingly appeared out of the blue – but one that every NZ rugby fan at the time would have understood. After all, Rokocoko was the player that every man, woman and child wanted to buy tickets to see during the winter, and emulate on the touch rugby field in summer.

Rokocoko debuted for the Blues in 2003 as a 21-year-old with zero professional rugby experience. He’d missed out on representing Auckland in the 2002 NPC after breaking an ankle at the Under-21 World Cup held earlier in the year but his prodigious talent and finishing prowess was so evident that Graham Henry – the then-coach of the Blues – brought him straight into the squad.

That season, the Blues were crowned Super 12 champions for the third time since the competition’s inception seven years prior, with Rokocoko starting on the left wing in the grand final. That same year, he earned a call up to the All Blacks and played in 23 tests over his first two campaigns with the New Zealand national side – scoring 27 tries in the process.

ADVERTISEMENT

All in all, it’s clear to see why Rokocoko made for a good candidate to feature on the Rugby 2005 cover.

“My sons were actually just talking about it the other day,” Rokocoko told RugbyPass. “They saw a soccer player – I can’t remember who, probably Ronaldo – on the cover of one of the old FIFA games. They asked if I’d ever been on a cover like that and I started to say no but then I remembered that I had been, back in the day.”

“That opportunity came about this randomly because I hardly played video games. I’m not much of a gamer myself. I think the only time I played that game too was the time they launched it.”

Rokocoko didn’t accept the offer to feature immediately, however – he’d heard of the superstitions around sports stars featuring on game covers.

ADVERTISEMENT

“You had these conspiracies about all the jinx of being on the cover of a game, being useless as the following year,” he recalled.

No such curse befell the ‘Rocket Man’, however, with the native Fijian again finding himself in hot form in 2005 – though he was competing with the likes of Doug Howlett, Rico Gear and Sitiveni Sivivatu for minutes with the All Blacks.

Rokocoko admitted that, like many of his fellow Fijians, he prefers blending in as opposed to standing out.

“It was quite strange but I think my boys have had more fun with it than I did. They really like the whole big out-there kind of stuff but I’m more laid back, stay in the background. It was quite different for me, and I guess it’s quite an honour to be a part of that.

“At least I would never have had to finish my career playing that game, I could go for years and years. And at least my player rating is good!”

Rokocoko left New Zealand at the end of 2011 and managed eight more years of playing professional rugby in France. He retired from the game at the end of the 2019 season.

New Zealand players that have appeared on rugby video game covers:

Jonah Lomu Rugby – Jonah Lomu

EA Rugby – Tana Umaga, Christian Cullen, Josh Kronfeld
EA Rugby 2004 – Carlos Spencer, Ma’a Nonu and Richie McCaw
EA Rugby 2005 – Joe Rokocoko
EA Rugby 06 – Dan Carter
EA Rugby 08 – Richie McCaw

Rugby Challenge – Kieran Read, Mils Muliaina, Sonny Bill Williams
Rugby Challenge 2 – Israel Dagg, Liam Messam, Julian Savea
Rugby Challenge 3 – Ben Smith, Brodie Retallick, Julian Savea
Rugby Challenge 4 – Ardie Savea, Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga

Rugby 18 – Dan Carter

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

R
RedWarrior 1 hour ago
Three-way race to be number one in World Rugby men's rankings

IF SA and NZ win then its 1,2,3 SA/NZ/IRL Otherwise as you were. This is largely irrelevant beyond bragging rights.


As I have pointed out elsewhere the practical use of the Rankings is to determine the seedings bands for the RWC draw. The draw takes place early 2026 and hopefully the rankings will be taken from then.


Important to be in the top 6, the top 12. (and likely the top 4).

This is because there are now 6 groups in the RWC 2027.

If you are in top 6 you are in Seeding Band 1. That means none of the other top 6 will be in your group.

Seeding Band 2 are teams from 7-12, who will have a top 6 team but no other 7-12 team.

After England's defeat by NZ there is clear water between NZ in 3rd, France in 4th and England in 5th. England are desperate for top4, ill come back and explain why later.

Lets look at Seeding Band 1 and 6th place. If you make 6th, no top 6 team is in your group, you are top dog. If you win your group, you won't be facing a top 6 team in your 1/8th final, you will be facing a weaker team. If you fail to make 6th place you WILL have a top 6 team in your group and if you don't win your group you WILL (probably) meet a top 6 in the 1/8 final. That's massive.


Its Argentina holding 6th now. Assuming England hold 5th, then its a 4 horse race for 6th. Argentina, Scotland, Italy and ...Australia. (ranked 6,7,8,9)

Australia play the Lions in NH summer 2025 they are running out of time to get up to 6th for their own RWC. They MUST make a move now. They must beat Wales and they really must beat Scotland to gain points and take points off them. Could they surprise England or Ireland? England may be the better bet but Schmidt knows Ireland so well having masterminded their downfall in France.

Another one to watch is Italy V Argentina. Italy are ambitious and they will want to start pushing the likes of Argentina. If they win this they are still in the hunt. Well worth a watch either way.


Top4: I think the top 6 will be seeded, all the way through from the draw. If thats the case then the top 4 will be seeded to avoid each other until the semi. Good for more certainty around ticket sales etc. That's a possible reason why England want in there. You're not in there you are hitting a top 4 team in a QF. That's an extra 50:50 match you can do without and avoid by being top 4.


Lets look at what Seeding bands might look like with todays rankings:


Seeding Band 1

IRE/SA/NZ/FRA/ENG/ARG

Seeding Band 2

SCO/ITA/AUS/FIJ/WAL/GEO


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: FIJI

1/8 final opponent GEORGIA

Prognosis: advance to 1/4 and potentially beyond


Sample Aussie strongest pool opponent and 1/8th final opponent if NOT in top 6

Strongest pool opponent: SOUTH AFRICA

1/8 final opponent NEW ZEALAND

Prognosis: You know the prognosis


I am pretty sure this is not lost on Joe Schmidt?


Keep in mind when enjoying the matches.

1 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Rugby fugitive Rocky Elsom in hiding after fleeing Ireland Rugby fugitive Rocky Elsom in hiding after fleeing Ireland
Search