“Sometimes when we go overseas, there’s an illusion of contracts that we have million dollar contracts. They’re not million dollar contracts. Million dollar responsibilities, yes, for sure,” – Former All Black Joe Rokocoko
He is All Black number 1032.
Nicknamed the “Rocketman” Josevata Taliga Rokocoko won 68 caps for the All Blacks between 2003 and 2010 scoring 46 tries making him New Zealand’s joint-third top try scorer.
In 2011 the flying winger spread his wings and moved to France playing for clubs Bayonne and Racing 92.
Joe, as he is fondly known, says after hanging up his playing boots for Racing 92 in 2019, he is grateful to still be part of the club.
“Been here since the end of 2011 being involved in playing professional rugby overseas and now actually being part of a coaching staff that is, in my opinion, in the best competition; it’s very humbling.”
There are over 400 Pacific Islands rugby players in France, spread mostly throughout the top two tiers of the professional game.
Soon after retirement, Rokocoko transitioned into coaching with Racing 92, initially joining the clubs academy before stepping up to professional assistant and skills coaching roles.
Today he’s the pro-team’s defense coach
Back in 2011 after missing out on the All Blacks squad for the World Cup and moving to France, Joe found out quickly that it is a different style of rugby.
“It was a bit of a sad feeling because you’ve left something you knew, back at home,” Joe says.
“I think that’s why I found it hard in my first few months in France ,because I hadn’t let go of it and it was affecting my training and the way I was playing.
“I hadn’t changed my way of thinking and didn’t accept the culture and didn’t accept the style of rugby so it was a learning curve for me.”
Joe admits living in France is not as easy as people think. He says family and friends need to remember that living and playing rugby in France is tough and that pressure to financially support family members back home puts unnecessary stress on young players.
“Sometimes when we go overseas, there’s an illusion of contracts that we have million dollar contracts. They’re not million dollar contracts. Million dollar responsibilities, yes for sure,” he says.
“But just understand, there’s a lot of responsibility and there’s a lot of pressure that our young men and women go through by living overseas.”
The former All Black is enjoying his new role at Racing 92 and is a big supporter of the new All Blacks coaching team lead by Cook Islander Dave Rennie.
“It’s awesome, I’ve never worked with him but I’ve heard of the work that he’s done for the teams that he has been involved in. There’s a word that keeps coming up from a lot of his interviews and that’s culture,” Joe says.
“To build a team, obviously that’s instilled inside us, and as Pacific Islanders that’s just our DNA. Culture is our first thing and everything comes outside which makes us unique in so many ways.”
After 15 years in France it is no surprise that Joe, along with his Fijian family are fluent in French. And while he hung up his playing boots long ago, he’s loving the lifestyle and his new role in French rugby.
