Jarrod Saffy

Jarrod Saffy
Saffy playing with the Dragons in 2008
Personal information
Born 24 October 1984
Johannesburg, South Africa
Height 191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight 106 kg (16 st 10 lb)
Playing information
Rugby league
Position Prop, Second-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2006–2007 Wests Tigers 8 0 0 0 0
2008–2010 St. George Illawarra 53 1 0 0 4
Total 61 1 0 0 4
Rugby union
Position Flanker, Number 8
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2011–2013 Melbourne Rebels 35 2 0 0 10
2013– US Bressane 0 0 0 0 0
Total 35 2 0 0 10
As of 15 July 2013
Source: RLP

Jarrod Saffy (born 24 October 1984 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is an Australian professional rugby union player. He played league for St George Illawarra Dragons (NRL),[1] before switching to rugby with the Melbourne Rebels for the 2011 Super Rugby season.

Early career

Saffy moved to Australia as a 15-year-old and continued playing rugby union at St Joseph's, Hunters Hill.[2] He represented the Australian Schoolboys, Australian under 21s and the Australian Sevens in rugby union as well as spending some time playing for the NSW Waratahs Academy and Sydney University Football Club.[3][4]

As he has played sevens for Australia he is tied to them in Rugby Union.[5]

Rugby League

Saffy switched to rugby league to progress faster[6] and made his debut in first grade in rugby league in the final round 26 match of 2006 for the Wests Tigers. He made seven first grade appearances for the Tigers in 2007. Saffy played rugby league at second-row and also at prop-forward.

He played in the Dragons' 2010 NRL Grand Final-winning team, and thus became the second South African-born player to win a premiership.

He is eligible to represent Lebanon[7] as well as his native South Africa and he is also eligible to represent Australia in Rugby League.

Rugby Union

In April 2010 Saffy became the first NRL player to sign with the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby franchise.[8] In October he commenced training with the Rebels for the new team's in the 2011 Super Rugby debut. He was expected to play at either blindside flanker or No. 8.[8]

In May 2011 Saffy was named in the Rebels squad to travel to Pretoria and Bloemfontein for the Rebels' "challenging double-header" against the Bulls and Cheetahs.[9]

In 2013 Saffy trained to be the Rebels first choice openside flanker, in competition with newcomers Scott Fuglistaller and Jordy Reid.[10]

Saffy signed with French club US Bressane in November 2013.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Jarrod Saffy on NRL.com". NRL.
  2. ↑ "St. Joseph's History". St. Joseph's.
  3. ↑ "Jarrod Saffy re-signs with Dragons". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 9 May 2008.
  4. ↑ http://aru.rugby.com.au/news/two_new_faces_in_ricoh_australian_sevens,13506.html
  5. ↑ Under IRB regulations, a player becomes permanently committed to a nation upon his first presence in a matchday squad with the country's full national team, "A" national team, or sevens national team."Regulation 8: Eligibility to Play for National Representative Teams" (PDF). Regulations Relating to the Game. International Rugby Board. 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2011. See especially Regulations 8.1 through 8.4.
  6. ↑ "Codebreaker prepares for action and a more intense approach". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. 7 August 2009.
  7. ↑ "Lebanon RL News". Lebanon Rugby League Team.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Rakic, Josh (18 April 2010). "Saffy Jumps Codes to Rebels and he won't be the last". Age. Fairfax. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
  9. ↑ Rebels Media Unit (11 May 2011). "South African return excites Saffy" (Press release). Melbourne Rebels. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  10. ↑ Paxinos, Stathi (2 February 2013). "Saffy back to stake claim for Rebels". Rugby Heaven. Australia: Fairfax. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  11. ↑ "L'USBPA officialise la signature de Saffy". usbparugby.com (Press release) (in French). 9 November 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.

External links