Izack Rodda (born 20 August 1996) is an Australian professional rugby union player. He signed for Provence Rugby for the 2024/25 season after leaving Western Force in Super Rugby. Rodda previously played for the Queensland Reds and French Top 14 team Lyon OU.[2] He is capped for the Australian national team and played at the Rugby World Cup in 2019. His regular position is lock.

Izack Rodda
Full nameIzack Rodda
Date of birth (1996-08-20) 20 August 1996 (age 28)
Place of birthLismore, NSW
Height2.02 m (6 ft 7+12 in)[1]
Weight123 kg (19 st 5 lb; 271 lb)[1]
SchoolIpswich Grammar
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2015–pres. Easts Tigers ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016–2020 Queensland Country 9 (6)
2020–2021 Lyon 25 (15)
Correct as of 28 May 2021
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017–2020 Reds 46 (15)
2022–2024 Force 20 (0)
Correct as of 1 June 2024
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014 Australia Schoolboys 0 (0)
2016 Australia U-20 6 (5)
2017–pres. Australia 25 (5)
Correct as of 29 November 2020

Family and early life

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Izack Rodda was born in Lismore in Northern New South Wales,[1] around 40 kilometres north of his home town of Evans Head.[3] He started playing junior rugby union on the Far North Coast for Lismore City Rugby Club. Rodda was selected for NSW Country junior teams,[4] and also played some rugby league in his early years as a lock forward or prop.[5]

The young Rodda switched his focus to playing rugby union at the age of thirteen, initially as a number eight but later at lock as he grew in stature.[5] He attended Ipswich Grammar in Queensland for his final two years of high school and was selected for the Australian Schoolboys rugby team in 2014.[4]

Rugby career

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Rodda joined the Easts Tigers club in Brisbane to play Queensland Premier Rugby,[3] and he represented the Queensland Under-20 team in 2015 and 2016.[6] He signed a train-on contract with the Queensland Reds in 2016,[6] and played in the National Rugby Championship that year for Queensland Country where former All Blacks test lock Brad Thorn coached the forwards squad.[3][6][7]

In 2017, he made his Super Rugby debut for the Reds in the opening round of the season, playing South African team the Sharks in Brisbane,[8] as a substitute for Rob Simmons in the final 18 minutes of a 28–26 win.[9] He played his first match as a starter for the Reds in Brisbane two weeks later against New Zealand side the Crusaders in a narrow 20–22 loss.[8][10]

Rodda was selected for the Wallabies squad by national coach Michael Cheika in the lead up to The Rugby Championship series of 2017.[11][12][13][14] He gained his first Test cap for Australia in the final stages of the second Bledisloe Cup match of 2017, in a close 35–29 loss to New Zealand at Dunedin.[citation needed]

In June 2020, Rodda signed with French Top 14 side LOU on a one-year contract.[15] Rodda had previously left the Reds following a refusal to take a pay cut in May 2020.[16]

He returned to Australia in 2021 to join the Western Force.[2]

Super Rugby statistics

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As of 29 February 2020:[17]
Season Team Apps Start Sub Mins T C PG DG Pts YC RC
2017 Reds 12 5 7 425 1 0 0 0 5 0 0
2018 Reds 15 15 0 1166 1 0 0 0 5 0 0
2019 Reds 14 14 0 1104 1 0 0 0 5 0 0
2020 Reds 5 4 1 296 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 46 38 8 2991 3 0 0 0 15 0 0

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Izack Rodda". Reds Rugby. 19 June 2017. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b Grant, Lachlan (11 June 2021). "Izack Rodda begins journey home from France". NBN News. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Tucker, Jim (21 April 2017). "Reds build monster with 'buffet diet' to help end three years of subservience to NSW". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b Cheadle, Barry (11 September 2014). "Evans Head team selected for Australian rugby tour of NZ". The Northern Star. Lismore: APN News & Media. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  5. ^ a b Gould, Joel (15 August 2017). "Izack Rodda's star on rise as Wallaby debut beckons". The Queensland Times. Ipswich: Quest. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  6. ^ a b c McKay, Brett (21 September 2016). "NRC: Izack Rodda makes his mark". Australian Rugby. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Brad Thorn to coach Queensland Country in National Rugby Championship". Fox Rugby. 2 August 2017. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  8. ^ a b Tucker, Jim (9 March 2017). "Giant Reds rookie Izack Rodda set to relegate Wallaby Kane Douglas to Reds bench". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Match Centre: Reds 28-26 Sharks". SANZAAR. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  10. ^ "Match Centre: Reds 20-22 Crusaders". SANZAAR. 11 March 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  11. ^ Craig, Mitchell (20 July 2017). "Rodda named in Wallabies squad". The Northern Star. Lismore: APN News & Media. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  12. ^ Pandaram, Jamie (14 August 2017). "Wallabies set to pick 20-year-old rookie Izack Rodda against All Blacks in Bledisloe Cup opener". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  13. ^ "7 new caps in Wallabies squad for Bledisloe Cup". Pattaya Mail. Thailand. 6 August 2017. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  14. ^ "L'Australie prepare un groupe tres rajeuni". Le Figaro (in French). Paris. 19 July 2017. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Le LOU recrute l'international australien Izack Rodda". Le Figaro (in French). Paris. 17 June 2020. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  16. ^ "L'Australien Rodda suspendu pour avoir refusé de baisser son salaire". Le Figaro (in French). Paris. 18 May 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  17. ^ "Player Statistics". Its 'Rugby. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
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