Rodney B. Kafer (born 25 June 1971) is a retired rugby union player for the ACT Brumbies and the Australian Wallabies. He is remembered by Brumbies fans for kicking a drop-goal in the final minute in a 2001 game against the Cats giving the Brumbies a one-point win. He now works for Fox Sports as a rugby commentator and has a weekly segment on the show Rugby HQ called "Fox Field". He attended Canberra Grammar School in his youth. At the age of 15 he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.[1]

Rod Kafer
Birth nameRodney Bruce Kafer
Date of birth (1971-06-25) 25 June 1971 (age 52)
Place of birthNewcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9+12 in)
Weight95 kg (209 lb)
SchoolCanberra Grammar School
SpouseAmanda
Children3
Occupation(s)Wallabies and Brumbies rugby player, Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre
Flyhalf
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2001–03 Leicester Tigers 34 (30)
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1991–2001 ACT and Southern NSW 89 (59)
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
1996–2001 Brumbies 37 (50)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1999–2000 Australia 12 (5)

Kafer was the first player to have received winners medals from the major Southern and Northern Hemisphere rugby tournaments, the Super 12 with the ACT Brumbies in 2001 and the Heineken Cup with the Leicester Tigers in 2002.[2]

Kafer moved to the northern hemisphere in 2001 and spent two years playing for the Leicester Tigers before signing as player coach for Saracens F.C. However, when Buck Shelford was sacked as head coach, Kafer was appointed in his place and gave up playing.[3][4]

In addition to his commentating commitments with Fox Sports Rugby, Kafer previously owned a telecommunications company and sold it in 2014 and now works in the Australian Rugby Union in a high performance role.[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ Run sweet account of Kafer's diabetes (google cache)
  2. ^ "Tigers retain European Cup". BBC. 25 May 2002. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  3. ^ "Saracens appoint Kafer as head coach". Saracens F.C. 8 August 2003. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2008.
  4. ^ "Kafer quits Saracens". The Telegraph. London. 14 December 2004. Retrieved 16 December 2008.