Tim Rodber
Encyclopedia
Timothy Andrew Keith Rodber (born 2 July 1969) formerly a rugby union
footballer who played at Number eight, flanker
or lock for Northampton Saints
, England
, and the British and Irish Lions
. He was previously a Captain
in the Green Howards infantry
regiment of the British Army
.
Rodber excelled at rugby from an early age, representing his school, Churcher's College
, as well as local sides Petersfield R.F.C.
and Oxford Old Boys. In 1987 he joined Northampton Saints
.
Often labelled 'FEC', or Future England Captain, by the press from the early stages of his career, (something that never came true) he made his debut for England
in the 25-7 victory over Scotland
in the 1992 Five Nations Championship.
Good performances, including helping England
to win the 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens
title, earned him a call-up to the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa
.
Rodber was one of the stand out performers during the tour and was captained the midweek side against Mpumalanga. His commitment was rewarded when, after injury to Wales' Scott Quinnell, he was selected at No.8 for the first two Tests, both of which the Lions won to take the series 2-1.
He was one of the few Englishmen in the 1990s to be sent off when he was given a red card in a tour game against Eastern Province in South Africa in 1994 when he reacted to a stamp on teammate Jon Callard.
However, the same tour saw Rodber play a vital role in one of England's best away performance of the decade during the 32-15 win in Pretoria on that same tour. "Has one ever seen an England team glisten in a ball-game with such a shimmering and sustained diamond brightness?" purred Frank Keating. "Rodber and his forwards were quite stupendous from first to last."
However, injury dogged his career and he was not selected after the 1999 Rugby World Cup. He retired at the end of the 2000/01 season. Now COO for the corporate information management business, Williams Lea, in New York.
Tim Rodber was named CEO of Williams Lea, Americas on 5 January 2010. This follows a successful stint running the International Operations.
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...
footballer who played at Number eight, flanker
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
or lock for Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
, 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...
, and the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
. He was previously a Captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
in the Green Howards infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
Rodber excelled at rugby from an early age, representing his school, Churcher's College
Churcher's College
Churcher's College is an English co-educational independent, fee-paying school which is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference . The senior school is located in the market town of Petersfield, Hampshire with the junior school in nearby Liphook...
, as well as local sides Petersfield R.F.C.
Petersfield R.F.C.
Petersfield Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based in the town of Petersfield, Hampshire, England.The club was formed in 1927, at the instigation of Frank Guy, a former pupil of Churcher's College, with which the club still enjoys an excellent relationship. Affiliated to the Hampshire...
and Oxford Old Boys. In 1987 he joined Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....
.
Often labelled 'FEC', or Future England Captain, by the press from the early stages of his career, (something that never came true) he made his debut for 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...
in the 25-7 victory over Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
in the 1992 Five Nations Championship.
Good performances, including helping England
England national rugby union team (sevens)
The English national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games.-Honours:* 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament - Winners* Rugby World Cup Sevens Winners 1993* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2002* Hong Kong Sevens Winners 2003*...
to win the 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens
Rugby World Cup Sevens
The Rugby World Cup Sevens is the premier international Rugby sevens competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board , and is contested by the men's national sevens teams every four years. The inaugural tournament was held in 1993 in Scotland, the...
title, earned him a call-up to the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa
1997 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1997 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa was a series of matches played by the British and Irish Lions rugby union team in South Africa.This tour followed the Lions' 1993 tour to New Zealand and preceded their 2001 tour to Australia....
.
Rodber was one of the stand out performers during the tour and was captained the midweek side against Mpumalanga. His commitment was rewarded when, after injury to Wales' Scott Quinnell, he was selected at No.8 for the first two Tests, both of which the Lions won to take the series 2-1.
He was one of the few Englishmen in the 1990s to be sent off when he was given a red card in a tour game against Eastern Province in South Africa in 1994 when he reacted to a stamp on teammate Jon Callard.
However, the same tour saw Rodber play a vital role in one of England's best away performance of the decade during the 32-15 win in Pretoria on that same tour. "Has one ever seen an England team glisten in a ball-game with such a shimmering and sustained diamond brightness?" purred Frank Keating. "Rodber and his forwards were quite stupendous from first to last."
However, injury dogged his career and he was not selected after the 1999 Rugby World Cup. He retired at the end of the 2000/01 season. Now COO for the corporate information management business, Williams Lea, in New York.
Tim Rodber was named CEO of Williams Lea, Americas on 5 January 2010. This follows a successful stint running the International Operations.