Pocock gives up rugby for Zim conservation
SYDNEY — David Pocock’s celebrated 15-year rugby career has come to an end after the former Wallabies captain announced his retirement from the professional game.
After calling time on his international career after last year’s World Cup, Pocock still had a year to play with Japanese side the Panasonic Wild Knights.
However, the openside flanker has today decided to hang up his boots and focus on pursuing his conservational interests, although he will remain involved in the game at the grassroots level..
“Rugby has given me so many opportunities, and I’m really keen to continue supporting the next generation of players here in Australia and in Zimbabwe,” he said. “There’s so much young talent in both places who could really benefit from strong pathways.”
One of the finest flankers to ever grace a rugby field, particularly on the defensive side of the ball and at the breakdown, Pocock won two John Eales Medals and represented Australia in three World Cups, playing a starring role in two of them.
Born in Zimbabwe, Pocock grew up dreaming of playing for the Springboks before moving with his family to Brisbane as a child. After being signed by the Western Force, he made his professional rugby debut against the Sharks in 2006 and played 69 matches for the club until 2012. During this time, he earned his first Wallaby appearance as a substitute in a Barbarians match in 2008.
In 2010, he won his first John Eales medal after a standout season, and was also an IRB international player of the year finalist that year and the year after. In 2012, aged just 23, he was handed the Wallabies captaincy after an injury to regular skipper James Horwill.
Pocock moved to the Brumbies in 2013, however a series of knee injuries, a year away from the game, and concussion and calf issues later on limited him to 43 appearances with the side before he announced his retirement from Super Rugby and Tests in 2019.
Pocock has been vocal throughout his career about social and particularly environmental issues, and his focus on conservation will come as little surprise given he is currently studying for a masters of sustainable agriculture.
“I’ve just started the Rangelands Restoration Trust and we have been working on our first project, which is in southern Zimbabwe. We’re working to build land use models that regenerate degraded rangelands, while creating wildlife habitat and improving the prosperity of people who depend on the land for their livelihoods. This kind of regenerative agriculture is a critical tool in the midst of the climate and extinction crises we are facing,” Pocock said. — Sydney Morning Herald