Roger Gould: Cool as a cucumber

My memories of Roger Gould from all those years ago – yes it was the 1980s – are of an icy cool player with a massive boot, great temperament, an attacking player and someone not intimidated.

A tall fullback, standing 193 cm (6ft 4inches), Gould was as safe as houses under the high ball and often returned the favour with interest.

To confirm he was around 42 years ago, Roger still used the old “toe end” style of goal-kicking! He was a memorable player whose career was interrupted by injury, limiting him to only 25 Tests.

He had a deceptive style of running, rather than be blisteringly fast, Gould ate up the ground with long, loping strides. I have flashes of vast torpedo style punts being sent back to defenders, relieving pressure for his teammates.

Roger George Gould was born on the 4th of April 1957 in Brisbane, Queensland and went to Brisbane Boys College. Playing both Australian rules and rugby union at school, I wonder how close he came to an Aussie rules career?

He represented Queensland in Under 19s and in 1978, aged twenty, made his senior debut against British Columbia in Vancouver.

Players look forward to their Wallaby debut, but Gould had a rather unfortunate beginning, playing only seventeen minutes on their tour to New Zealand in 1978.

He was 21 years old and began his career as it ended, with injury, illness and missed opportunities.

(Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Gould made his Test debut in 1980 against the All Blacks and contributed mightily to a Wallaby victory. He was as relaxed as a Queenslander playing touch rugby on the beach with his mates!

The All Blacks believing if they targeted him the pressure would form a weak point, but he revelled in the high kicks and All Black forwards charging at him. If you have ever played “kick-back” with your brother or mate, you will know the importance of having a big punt to drive the opposition back!

Injury once again ruined Roger’s plans in 1981 when he missed the series win over France. He was selected for the United Kingdom tour later that year, playing in the first three matches before being dropped for Paul McLean in the defeat to England.

His career continued against Scotland in Australia, but he was left on the bench for the first test, returning for the second, with Gould and McLean contributing 29 of the 33 points scored. During the first Test the Ella brothers, who had replaced Gould and McLean, were apparently taunted by the Queensland fans every time they made a mistake.

The battle continued with the All Blacks in 1982 when Gould was an imposing presence, scoring a notable try. Gould also did not back down in a confrontation with Mark “Cowboy” Shaw.

Due to players becoming disenchanted with the amateur era in rugby, Roger Gould “retired” and moved to Argentina in 1984. A tour was coming up to the UK again and coach Alan Jones intuitively realised he needed his “rock” at fullback, so Roger Gould was enticed to tour.

An inspired choice by Jones as Gould became one of the stars of the touring party, playing splendidly in the “Grand Slam “of the Home Nations. He was often the link man from fullback creating space for his outside players.

Prior to this tour the Wallabies lost to the All Blacks again with Gould performing averagely with the boot.

Gould’s career was about to become even more spasmodic as he only played four more tests for the Wallabies over the next three years. David Campese and Andrew Leeds filling his spot. His last Test being against England in the 1987 Rugby World Cup, playing well after coming on as a replacement for Leeds.

David Campese wrote in “On a Wing and a Prayer”: “My best full-back would be Roger Gould. He was one of the greatest, a colossus who, although often bothered by injury, was a fantastic player when fit and firing on all cylinders. He was very big, could kick a ball like a mule and was totally safe and confident under the high ball. His physique alone commanded respect and you could rely on Roger.”

“He was a great player, and I don’t use the word loosely. He was also exceptionally helpful when I first came into the side. Roger was a big bloke for a fullback, had the most massive calf muscles I have seen on any footballer, and could punt a ball into a different post code. But he was also an attacking weapon from fullback like we have probably not had since, until Chris Latham brought that same sense of involvement to the position. He timed his runs into the backline perfectly and, because of his size, caused panic in rival defences. His own defence was sure and safe. Gould really was the complete fullback package.”

(Photo by Getty Images)

Former Australian five-eighth Mark Ella wrote in Path to Victory that: “Not only is Roger Gould the biggest punter of a ball in world rugby, he’s the best fullback I’ve ever seen. Roger is just dynamite. He’s strong, safe and although he doesn’t look that fast, his long, loping stride can be very deceptive when he gets steam up. Just having Roger there takes the pressure off you. He’s a terrific defender, too. Because of his size, he crunches people.”

Alan Jones, former Australian coach called Gould the best player he ever coached. In Wallaby Gold: The History of Australian Test Rugby Jones is recorded as saying that, “…my best player, I think, was Roger Gould. If your defensive line is going to hold up, the opposition are going to roof it, and you’ve just got to have someone who’s rock-solid. Gould was flawless. He was a freak. He did wonderful things.”

Gould was a mentally hardy player who became one of the foundations that Wallaby success was built upon in the 80s.

After playing he became a coach, including a term with the United States national team. Also coaching at his debut club Western Districts in Brisbane. He was the Queensland Reds assistant coach in 2001-02 and was a Wallaby selector and assistant coach under Eddie Jones in 2004-05. Gould was elected Queensland Rugby Union President in 2020.

In 2009 Roger Gould was elected to the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame and was added to the “Queensland Team of the Century”.

In my opinion Roger Gould is the Wallabies greatest fullback, as with most topics, others will have a different view. The two others to stand out to compete with Gould are Matthew Burke and Chris Latham, two very accomplished, talented players. But in a career interrupted by injury, Gould is the most memorable to me. As an all-round fullback he had it all, the defence, attack and stability.

Roger George Gould is another of my favourite Wallaby players.