Andrew James Goode (born 3 April 1980) is an English
sports pundit
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the sports commentator#Main/play-by-play commentator, main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be re ...
and former
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
player. Goode had an 18-year professional career playing over 400 games and scoring over 4,000 points. He played professionally in England, France and South Africa featuring for
Leicester Tigers,
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
,
Worcester Warriors,
Wasps
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
and
Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union.
The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...
in England's
Premiership Rugby
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby ...
,
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin, also referred to as CA Brive, Brive () or CAB, is a French professional rugby union club based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze, Corrèze department.
Brive is a historical member of French rugby un ...
in France's
Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...
and for
Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...
's in South Africa. Goode represented 17 times between 2005 and 2009 scoring 107 points.
Goode is the second highest scorer of all time in
Premiership Rugby
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby ...
, having previously been the record holder. During his career he won five
Premiership titles (1999–2002 and 2007) and two
European Cups (
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
and
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
) all with Leicester; he also won the
RFU Championship with
Worcester Warriors.
Early life
Born 3 April 1980 in
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
, Goode attended
King Henry VIII School in
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
and
Bromsgrove School in
Bromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England, about north-east of Worcester and south-west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 34,755 in at the 2021 census. It gives its name to the wider Bromsgrove District, of which it is ...
, Worcestershire. He started playing rugby union at the age of five at Barkers Butts, before moving to
Nuneaton
Nuneaton ( ) is a market town in Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire to the north-east.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : Nuneaton's population at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...
at 12. He also played for Warwickshire, the Midlands and England Schools. He joined
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
aged 16.
In 1998 Goode was selected to play for England Schools U18 and represented England at U21 level, playing at the 2000 SANZAR tournament in New Zealand.
Club career
Goode joined
Leicester Tigers after leaving school in 1998. Despite his youth he played a substantial part in the Tigers' record four successive Premiership titles and also won two
Heineken Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...
winners' medals. He started the
2001 final and was an unused replacement in the
2002 final. He later moved to
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
and after moved back to his old club Leicester in 2003.
Goode was nominated for player of the Season 2004-5 and the PRA Players' Player of the Year. He ended the season voted player of the year by the Leicester Tigers members and players. In March 2008, Goode became the all-time leading points scorer in the
English Premiership, overtaking
Jonny Wilkinson. Goode won his fifth Premiership medal in 2007, starting the final as Leicester defeated
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
. In the game he scored a try, three conversions and a penalty.
Following Leicester's 07/08 season, Goode left Welford Road and signed for French club
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin, also referred to as CA Brive, Brive () or CAB, is a French professional rugby union club based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze, Corrèze department.
Brive is a historical member of French rugby un ...
. He had a very impressive start in the
Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...
, scoring 235 points in his first season, making him the second highest point scorer in the
2008–09 Top 14 season.
He spent the early part of 2010 on loan to South African Super 14 franchise, the
Sharks
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...
. He made his Sharks debut off the bench against the
Crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...
, but was sin-binned six minutes from full-time in this game following a head high tackle on
Dan Carter.
In February 2010, Goode signed with then English Premiership side Worcester Warriors. He joined the side in the summer, in preparation for the new season starting in September 2010.
Goode scored a try, two conversions, a penalty and a drop-goal in leading Worcester Warriors to victory in the second leg of the Championship final against Cornish Pirates. This guaranteed promotion to the English Premiership for the 2011/2012 season.
He returned to
Welford Road in April 2012 for the match against Leicester Tigers but was sent off in the first half after hitting his old team
Tom Croft high and late with his arm. Despite this performance, Goode's consistent kicking performances were important in ensuring they ended the season above
London Wasps and
Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union.
The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...
.
On 5 March 2013 it was announced that Goode would join
London Wasps from the start of the 2013/2014 season.
On 21 December 2014, in Wasps' first permanent home match at the
Ricoh Arena
The Coventry Building Society Arena (often shortened to the CBS Arena or just simply Coventry Arena, and formerly known as the Ricoh Arena) is a complex in Coventry, West Midlands, England. It includes a 32,609-seater stadium which is currentl ...
in his home town of
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
, Goode set a
Premiership record of 33 points in a single match with 1 try, 2 conversions and 8 penalties, beating the joint record of 32 points set by
Niall Woods and equalled by
Dave Walder and
Tim Stimpson, as Wasps beat
London Irish
London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club that most recently competed in the Premiership Rugby, Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England. The club also participated in the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Champion ...
48–16.
On 16 February 2015, it was announced Goode would join
London Irish
London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club that most recently competed in the Premiership Rugby, Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England. The club also participated in the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Champion ...
at the end of the season. However, on 8 September 2015, it was announced he would retire due to injury problems without playing a single game for London Irish. He was therefore released from his contract.
On 28 December 2015, after having his injuries treated with a botulinum toxin solution, Goode came out of retirement with the
Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union.
The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...
for three months as injury cover for Mike Delaney and Ruki Tipuna. Goode's first outing in Newcastle colours was in an
Aviva A League match against
Leicester Tigers A on 4 January 2016. He made his last appearance for Newcastle on 27 March 2016 and retired for a second time.
Goode was inducted into
Premiership Rugby
Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby ...
's hall of fame in June 2021.
International career
Goode played five times for
England Saxons in 2001 and 2002. He also played 17 times for England.
He made his England début as a replacement for
Charlie Hodgson in the 2005
Six Nations victory over Italy, in which he also scored his first points from a conversion.
Just before the 2009 Six Nations, Goode was called up to train with the England team and was subsequently named in the starting line-up for the match against . He went on to score the opening try of the 2009 Six Nations and converted it himself, ending the match with 16 points. While playing against Argentina
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
on 6 June 2009 he scored 22 points. He then scored 17 points against them in the match in
Salta
Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Salta Province, the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the List of cities in Argentina, 7th most-populous ...
.
After retirement
After retiring from professional rugby, Goode has become a sport TV pundit and host of a podcast named ''The Rugby Pod'' with
Jim Hamilton, another former international rugby union player from Scotland. Goode has now become a fitness and lifestyle influencer after a dramatic weight loss regimen, and has posed topless on social media.
References
External links
Worcester Warriors player profileLeicester Tigers player profileEngland profileAndy Goode Blog, Living Rugby
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goode, Andy
1980 births
CA Brive players
Coventry R.F.C. players
England international rugby union players
English rugby union players
English expatriate rugby union players in France
Expatriate rugby union players in South Africa
Living people
Leicester Tigers players
Newcastle Falcons players
People educated at King Henry VIII School, Coventry
People educated at Bromsgrove School
Rugby union players from Coventry
Saracens F.C. players
Sharks (rugby union) players
Sportspeople from Bromsgrove
Wasps RFC players
Worcester Warriors players
Rugby union fly-halves
English expatriate sportspeople in South Africa