Rugby World Cup 2015 final: Come and see Wallabies, David Pocock tells Sir David Attenborough
Australian flanker, and wildlife documentary lover, invites Sir David to Twickenham final
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Your support makes all the difference.There is an Antipodean comedian on the World Cup reporting beat and when he saw David Pocock’s pair of black eyes yesterday he decided to get right to the point.
“David,” he said with mock seriousness. “We know all about your animal-rights activism. Are we to assume this is your way of standing up for pandas around the world?”
Pocock laughed, or as much as he could considering he broke his nose not once but twice against Argentina in Sunday’s brutal semi-final.
It was not your average question, but Pocock is far from your average rugby player or character.
Animal-rights activist, environmental campaigner and staunch supporter of gay rights, Pocock puts himself where others would not, both at the breakdown and outside the white lines of the pitch.
This is a man, after all, who celebrated his sensational display against Argentina by watching two episodes of Africa, Sir David Attenborough’s widely acclaimed wildlife documentary series.
Pocock’s heroes are not rugby men; instead, he would like nothing more than for Attenborough to be his guest of honour at Saturday’s World Cup final against New Zealand.
Indeed, through an entertaining half-hour in his company there is only one question that causes concern to flash across Pocock’s face – and it is not Richie McCaw’s breakdown skills.
After a career in which he has been determined not be defined by rugby, is Pocock now playing so well that he could actually be remembered more for his sporting abilities than his life away from the pitch?
“I’ve absolutely loved the game of rugby and I’m so grateful for the opportunity that it’s given me,” he says. “But I’m very conscious of the fact that at the end of the day, it’s a game. It’s there to be enjoyed, it can offer so much to us, but there’s certainly a lot more to life than chasing a rugby ball.”
For Pocock, that means standing up for what he believes in. To start with, Pocock and his partner, Emma, have said they will not marry until there are equal marriage rights for gay people in Australia. In November last year, he was arrested after chaining himself to mining equipment to protest at a proposed coal-mine in New South Wales. And this March, he called a time-out in a Super Rugby game to report homophobic abuse – not aimed at him – by an opposition player.
So when Wallaby head coach Michael Cheika called his squad a group of “lovers, fighters and jokers” on Monday, is it fair to assume Pocock was in the former category? “I like to consider myself more a lover than a fighter,” he grinned. “A bit of a knock on the nose can change that, though I think it’s relatively straight. Emma says as long as I don’t start snoring she’s happy.
“In a group like this you’ve always got people from different backgrounds with different beliefs, and I guess the ways they see life. To me that’s exciting. You get to live with those people and be able to challenge yourself and be able to talk about stuff other than rugby.”
And where does Attenborough fit into all this? “I’m a big fan of wildlife documentaries, particularly Attenborough – he’s a big hero of mine.
“On Sunday, it was a couple of Attenborough episodes, put my feet up. I was re-watching his Africa series. If he wants to come to the final I’m sure we could organise some tickets. He’s a legend.”
In the second episode of his series, Attenborough looked at jackals. The word has a very different meaning in rugby, and at the breakdown Pocock is the finest jackal of them all. His 15 turnovers at this tournament are five more than anyone else, and his performance against England was one for the ages. But when he says there is more to life than a World Cup final, you believe him.
“There’s a bit more of a journey to it,” he says of his own story. “I’ve had a great few years of learning and working hard to get to this point. There isn’t another group I would rather be working alongside, so I’m pretty excited.”
If Australia are to win on Saturday they will need Pocock at his very best. If he pulls it off, then expect Africa to get another airing.
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