AUSTRALIAN CAPTAIN DAVID POCOCK has confirmed he is to leave the Western Force for the ACT Brumbies.
The 24-year-old flanker announced the decision on his Facebook page this weekend and said it was a decision that he had ‘wrestled with’.
The loss of Pocock, who will move to Canberra to play for Brumbies next season, will be keenly felt by Force. The team finished 15th in the Super Rugby this season, two points ahead of the bottom-placed Golden Lions.
Pocock has been a Force mainstay for the last seven seasons having joined the club as a teenager during their inaugural year, 2006.
He has featured for the Perth-based side 69 times in Super Rugby and has 44 caps with Wallabies caps.
Unbelievably hard decision
“Some decisions in life are very difficult,” he said, “And with those decisions, more often than not, the more you wrestle with the options the harder it is to make a decision.”
Pocock said he was excited about the new challenge of playing for Brumbies under the guidance of World Cup-winning coach Jake White. His statement read:
When I was just 17 the Force offered me an amazing opportunity to come and play under John Mitchell and John Mulvihill – to train with and learn from the likes of Nathan Sharpe, Brendan Cannon, Matt Hodgson and many others who I now consider great friends.
“Even though we haven’t delivered the results we’d have liked, you’ve supported us through thick and thin and I hope you continue to support the club in this critical time in its development,” Pocock added. “It does make a difference, and will be instrumental in the future rise of the Force.”
The flanker cited travel, national team commitments and family reasons as other factors in spurring on his move. He added:
While I am excited about the change it is always a hard thing to move on, but I take with me so many good memories of my time with the Force family.
Pocock will get the opportunity to make a name for himself as a Brumbies legend, such as George Smith – the man he replaced in the national side.
