ZIMBABWEAN-BORN Wallabies flanker David Pocock has backed the Sables to qualify for next year’s International Rugby Board (IRB) World Cup in England.
MICHAEL MADYIRA
The Sables are currently in Madagascar and just three matches away from a first World Cup appearance since 1991.
Brendan Dawson’s men play hosts Madagascar today before engaging Namibia on Wednesday and Kenya on July 6.
Pocock, whose family was forced to flee Zimbabwe in 2001 at the height of the chaotic land-grabs, is now turning out for his adopted country Australia whom he once captained.
He believes the Sables are primed for qualification.
“It is so exciting,” Pocock told NewsDay Sport. “It is great to see the Sables coaches working to try and retain young talent in Zimbabwe or get guys playing club rugby overseas to put their hand up to come back and play. Zimbabwe has such great talent at a schoolboy level, and the talent drain due to the lack of pathways and opportunities for players in the past has been hard to deal with.”
The Gweru-born player is currently nursing a knee injury that has blighted his last two seasons.
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After taking part in the 2011 World Cup, his appearance at the next edition with the Wallabies is subject to recovering from second knee reconstruction in 12 months as well as regaining top form.
In the event Zimbabwe qualifies, the 26-year-old is thrilled at the prospect of facing his country of birth.
“I was talking to my wife, Emma, about that a few weeks ago. I would love it! I think it would be one of the highlights of my career so far,” he said.
While he left Zimbabwe as a 13-year-old, he does not have hard feelings and feels he can contribute to Zimbabwean rugby.
He also runs a charity, EightyTwenty Vision, which supports projects in Nkayi, Matabeleland North that focus on food security, education, health and women and children’s rights.
“Over the past couple of years I have had some communication with and met people from Zimbabwe rugby in Harare last year. It is a bit hard playing rugby in Australia and finding the time to be of real value to Zimbabwean rugby, but I hope I can help a little bit,” he said.
“I try and follow the progress of the Zimbabwe Sevens and the Sables online. I don’t get to watch many games, but enjoy seeing how they are progressing.”
