Jonah vs Joe - The Great All Black

With the World Cup coming up we at RuckU are taking time to compare great players of past and present to try and determine the true legends of the game. Seeing as though the hot favourites to life the trophy this year are New Zealand, we are looking at two of their greatest wingers. Representing the modern game is Joe Rokocoko as we compare him the old powerhouse, Jonah Lomu. Enjoy our facts, figures and interesting info along with some clips of what these two men do and did best and let us know who you think deserves the title of the greatest All Black wing.


Joe Rokocoko Info


Josevata Taliga "Joe" Rokocoko, born 6 June 1983 in Nadi, Fiji, is a professional New Zealand rugby union player.
He migrated to New Zealand with his family at the age of 5, settling in South Auckland, and attending 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 under-16, under-19, and under-21 level, he started playing Super 12 rugby for the Blues in 2003.
Rokocoko size (98kg and 1.89 m tall) and speed has resulted in comparisons to former All Blacks wing Jonah Lomu. He is a specialist left-winger but has occasionally played on the right wing for New Zealand to accommodate another left-wing specialist, Sitiveni Sivivatu.
Rokocoko made his first appearance for the All Blacks on 14 June 2003 against England. He has so far 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 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.
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 made his NPC debut for Auckland in 2004. Rokocoko returned to the All Blacks line-up for the 2005 Tri Nations, punctuating his comeback with a two-try effort in the All Blacks' pivotal home fixture against South Africa. As of 2006 he has scored 31 tries in 34 test matches.
Rokocoko is a cousin of All Black team-mate Sitiveni Sivivatu,former Auckland Blues and All Black winger Joeli Vidiri and NPC, Super 12, and New Zealand sevens player Iliesa Tanivula.[2]
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.