Jesse Dean Mogg

Jesse Mogg was running around at fullback for Wests in Canberra’s premier division when ACT Brumbies’ World Cup winning coach Jake White plucked him from relative obscurity at the end of 2011 to kickstart his professional rugby career. Within six months future Wallaby Hall of Famer Stephen Larkham paid Mogg, and White for that matter, the ultimate compliment when he compared him to a young Joe Roff.

A latecomer to the game, Mogg was a track and field athlete while he grew up in Brisbane. He also dabbled at soccer and Australian Rules football before he finally took up rugby in his final years at St Patrick's College in Shorncliffe from where he earned selection, alongside Matt To’omua, for Queensland II who went on to win the 2006 Australian Schools Championship.

After school, Mogg had a season of colts with University of Queensland before he played two years in the Hospital Cup at Norths. In 2008, Mogg played for Queensland ‘A’ however he was unable to secure a contract with the Reds. The following year Mogg switched codes to play a season of rugby league with the Brisbane Broncos Toyota Cup (U20s) side. He then spent two years in the Brumbies’ Academy before White spotted him in the John I Dent Cup and instantly signed Mogg to a one-year deal.

Mogg debuted on the left wing in the first round of the 2012 Super Rugby season and scored a try as the Brumbies beat the Force 19-17 in Canberra. The Brumby faithful quickly warmed to their new recruit. His brilliant attacking player coupled with the speed of a greyhound and a raking left boot unsurprisingly drew comparisons with Chris Latham, Australia’s most-capped Test fullback.

In 2013 Mogg kicked three vital penalty goals as the Brumbies posted the first provincial victory (W 14-12) over the British & Irish Lions on Australian soil since 1971. Four days later, in the first Test against the Lions, Wallaby fullback Berrick Barnes suffered a concussion, one that ruled him out for the rest of the series. As a result, Kurtley Beale was named at #15 and Mogg took Beale’s place on the bench. Although left unused in that fixture, Mogg only had to wait another seven days before he replaced Israel Folau on the right wing to win his first Test cap. He then started the first internationals against New Zealand before his breakthrough season ended on a sour note due to shoulder surgery.

Later that year Brumbies and Wallabies performance director Dean Benton described Mogg as the "best pure athlete" he coached in his time working at the top level in three of Australia's premier football codes. "Jesse attained a max speed of 10.06m/sec at the end of the 2013 pre-season, which is the fastest maximum speed I have seen recorded by any player, of any code, anywhere in the world to my knowledge," said Benton. "When he arrived at the Brumbies he had a max around 9.7m/sec - so it is a substantial improvement in such a short space of time and I think he has the ability to continue improving."

Folau dominated the #15 jersey throughout 2014 and it surprised few when Mogg announced in May 2015 that he had signed a two-year deal to play under White at Montpellier in France. He left Montpellier after their 2016 European Challenge Cup victory to join Pau however he then endured a horror injury run, “it started with a benign tumour in my tibia”, during which he had four surgeries on his right leg and missed almost three years of rugby. Mogg did return to Australia for a final two seasons with the Brumbies in 2022–23.

Jesse Mogg played three Tests in his one-year of international rugby.

Highlights

2013

Mogg won his first Test cap off the bench when he replaced Israel Folau on the right wing in the 3rd Test 16-41 loss to the British & Irish Lions in Sydney. New national coach Ewen McKenzie picked Mogg as starting fullback in the first two Tests of the Rugby Championship against New Zealand and named him in the match day 23 for the loss to South Africa in Brisbane.