Australia loose forward David Pocock will take four weeks’ holiday to rest and recuperate after the Rugby World Cup before considering offers he has received from clubs interested in securing him after 2016, according to his manager.
Pocock is committed to Australian rugby and his Canberra-based Super Rugby team ACT Brumbies until the end of 2016, but French clubs are already circling the 55-Test flanker, according to reports in France.
French rugby paper Midi Olympique reported the 27-year-old has already been approached by Top 14 side Bordeaux, where his Wallabies team-mate and Adam Ashley-Cooper will play next season.
“There are a number of offers that have landed,” Pocock’s Sydney-based manager Brian Levine told Reuters. “None are being considered at this stage. “David will be taking a break for four weeks, getting over the niggles he picked up during the World Cup. He is firmly committed to the 2016 season with the Brumbies and the ARU.”
After coming back from two knee reconstructions that wiped out his 2013 and 2014 seasons, Pocock underlined his reputation as one of the world’s best back-rowers at the World Cup, where his ball-poaching and fierce work at the breakdown was a major factor in the Wallabies’ run to the final.
Wallabies backs coach Stephen Larkham, also head coach of the Brumbies, said securing Pocock’s signature beyond 2016 was a priority for the club and Australian rugby, but also said the player could not be hurried.
Pocock took only a one-year contract with the Brumbies after protracted talks, telling local media he was uncertain whether he would continue to have the drive to play for longer.
After five more Tests, Pocock will also be able to play overseas and still remain eligible to represent Australia, a privilege denied players with under 60 caps.
With a number of seasoned Wallabies continuing their playing careers overseas after the World Cup, the ARU are certain to fight hard to retain the Zimbabwe-born player and should have the resources to table a competitive offer.
But Pocock, a noted charity worker, environmentalist and advocate for gay marriage, will not just be considering life on the pitch when he returns from holiday, his manager said. “We’re looking at everything [after 2016], and that includes study and other things,” Levine added.
