David Pocock is a natural born leader. A future Springbok altered by fate into a potential Wallaby captain. Living proof that early experiences mould people into manhood, so writes Gavin Cummiskey in the Irish Times.
"Growing up “in a tiny, backward town in the middle of Zimbabwe” his childhood coaches said he would one day play for South Africa (this being the unnatural process for a country constantly raided of talent by South Africa, much like New Zealand and Australia cherry pick from the Pacific Islands). Then irrevocable change descended upon his native land. Neighbouring white farms were violently seized with the Robert Mugabe regime of terror encouraging such practice.
Jane Pocock: “Things were pretty scary on the farm. I remember going into his room one night and he had a loaded shotgun next to his bed. A big fishing knife tucked into his mattress. I remember saying to him ‘Dave, my boy, you don’t have to . . . ’ and he said, ‘Mum, if they come I have to help Dad protect us. As a mother it just about broke my heart.” Andy Pocock: “It’s not right for a 12-year-old kid. It’s just not right.” It took the family two years to get out of Zimbabwe. Nine months in South Africa followed before a brief stint in New Zealand eventually saw them rediscover some form of normality in Brisbane. Rugby gradually took over the teenagers life."
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