Australian flanker David Pocock has hinted at starting a career in politics come the end of his professional rugby career.
Pocock played his final game for the Wallabies on Saturday in their 40-16 loss to England in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup. With 83 test caps to his name Pocock has become a legend of the game in his homeland and admits that he felt it was time to hang up his boots due to the toll it has taken on his body.
“It certainly takes its toll. You pick up injuries along the way and some of them linger longer than others. I feel like I’ve put a huge amount into rugby in Australia and I’ve got a lot back in return and really feel like it’s time to move on to other things and contribute in other ways,” he said.
Pocock will play his rugby with the Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan come next year after leaving the Brumbies at the end of the Super Rugby season, but the move he talks of after looks more likely to be in a political capacity rather than that in rugby.
“I’m interested in a bunch of things outside rugby. The political landscape at the moment is fairly uninspiring when it comes to climate change and those sorts of things, so we’ll wait and see. I’ll have a bit of time to think about it now, then I’ve got the six months in Japan. After that we’ll see. For me, issues around climate change, ecological crisis … there’s plenty to do. I’ll find something and get stuck in. There’s something really special about being part of a group that’s so focused on something bigger than themselves, but I’ll be looking to find that elsewhere,” he added.
Pocock is a conservationist and human rights campaigner and also holds a Bachelor of Ecological Agricultural Systems degree too meaning the move would make sense should he choose to go down that path.
However, with Michael Cheika stepping down as Wallabies head coach following Saturday’s loss as well as Pocock departing, the flanker has confirmed that he would be more than happy to help whoever takes up the role with the national side.
“Mate as a player, you’re happy to. You’re always happy to give your thoughts and opinions. That’s just a little part of the bigger picture of the strategy going forward and how things are going to look in terms of the structure of coaching in Australia,” he finished.
Whatever Pocock does it is sure to be impressive much like his career to date, although his time in green and gold may be over in a playing capacity it appears as though we are set to see much more of him in the future.
