Roff rejects record for taste of Europe
Joe Roff will sacrifice a world record for a shot at spearheading the French resistance to England?s monopoly of the Heineken European Cup.
The Australian, whose Second Test try in Melbourne in July turned the tide against the Lions, has put his Wallaby career on hold for a season in Biarritz.
Now he has a crack at Bath, who have lost four Premiership defeats on the trot.
Chess fanatic Roff has taken five years to get within reach of one of the sport?s more daunting records ? only to decide a change of scenery is more important. His run of 58 consecutive Tests for Australia takes him to second in the all-time list behind All Black Sean Fitzpatrick (63).
The Wallabies five-match winter tour offered him the prospect of equalling the record until a Canadian players? strike over the sacking of Australian coach Dave Clark forced the abandonment of a Test in Vancouver on October 27.
?I should be annoyed but, to be honest, it doesn?t faze me,? he said. ?Records are nice to have but there are not the most important things in life.?
Assuming he plays in the four remaining matches against Spain, England, France and Wales, Roff will finish the year on 62 and that, in terms of consecutive matches, will be that.
?I will not be playing in any Tests next year,? he said. ?The season here doesn?t finish until June. I will no longer be a contracted Australian player and I can?t see them picking anyone for the Tri-Nations who is not in the Super Twelve. Just to play on to beat records is a pretty poor motivation factor.?
Roff, who has not missed a Test since Italy in 1996, chose Biarritz ahead of other countries including England and has no plans of retiring from international rugby.
?I have four or five years in me and it will be a matter of assessing what I want to get out of those years,? he added.
Canada?s difficulties have also caused the cancellation of their games against Ireland, in Dublin on November 24, and Scotland the week before. The Irish are grateful for a free week but Scotland have moved quickly and will now face Argentina on that day.
