Ex-Wallabies Captain David Pocock's Dramatic Career Change Since Leaving Rugby in 2019

Pocock made his international retirement after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, as Australia were eliminated by England in the quarter-finals. The back-rower then finished up his club level commitments in Japan, before hanging up his boots with the Panasonic Wild Knights.

Pocock announced that he would retire from rugby to focus on conservation efforts, and headed back to school to pursue this. In 2021, the former Brumbies star graduated with a Master's Degree in Sustainable Agriculture from Charles Sturt University, the very same place where began his rugby career.

In December 2021, Pocock announced his intentions to run for a position in the Senate in the Federal Elections.

His independent political party was self-titled simply as 'David Pocock', with the former Wallabies flanker becoming the first non-Labor or Liberal electee as a Senator for the Australian Capital Territory.

An advocate for equality and environmental sustainability, Pocock has been an influential presence within his nation's politics. Ahead of his election, Pocock starred in an interview called 'From Ruck to the Senate', where he discussed his reasons for running independently. Pocock's goal was to be a socially progressive voice, to tackle corruption within Government and the political advertising laws.

Pocock's heart belongs to Australian sustainability, which is reflected in his campaign to increase his country's renewable energy expenditure. He has also been an advocate for same-sex marriage in Australia,

Here’s some of the most prominent rugby players to have made waves in business.

After confirming his retirement, Hogg said in a statement: "A new career beckons and I will attack in the same manner as I play the game."

The Scotland legend has revealed he isn't too keen on coaching, but will remain in the game as a pundit after making his debut on BBC during the 2023 Six Nations.

Sources tell RUCK that BT Sport (soon to be TNT Sports) are keen. to recruit the fullback as a key part of their 2023/24 Premiership coverage.

He is the co-owner of steak house Finsbay Flatiron in Glasgow.

The focus for Finsbay Flatiron is steak, specialising in 8oz flat irons (as the name suggests) and steaks from £8 on weekdays and £10 on weekends, as well as sides like mac and cheese and triple cooked chips.

He's a director of a distillery named Maiden Batch.

Caulker's is a collaborative effort between five Glasgow men, two of whom happen to be British Lions and Scotland rugby internationals, Hogg and Alastair Kellock. The bottle is signed by all five.

The England and Exeter Chiefs winger is the co-owner of The Swordfish Inn back in his hometown of Cornwall.

Sitting on the harbourfront, the pub has been a favourite of local fishermen, artists and visitors alike for as long as anyone cares to remember and is well-known for its rugged charm and atmosphere.

He is also a director of .

Established in 2003 by the Rugby World Cup Winner & MBE, Raging Bull clothing has grown from grassroots rugby to a brand that punches well above its weight having supplied sportswear to national and international level sides.

Vickery also opened Cheltenham based restaurant No.3 nine years after the former prop won Celebrity Masterchef. With a passion for food and people, Vickery can’t wait to welcome you all to No.3 for a truly memorable dining experience. 

Making a Tuilagi Gin was often talked about in the early hours of the morning by the brothers after many gin and tonics. As there are fifteen players on the rugby pitch, they have added fifteen botanicals to their gin.

Some of the botanicals they use in their recipe are; Juniper, Coriander, Orris, Sage, Thyme, Mac cloves, Lavender, Rose and Orange peel.

Cotton Traders is an English clothing company, specialising in rugby apparel and leisurewear, based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It was founded in 1987 by former England national rugby union team captains Fran Cotton and Steve Smith.

They currently operate 80 retail stores nationwide in high street, retail outlets, garden centres and travel locations. They also provide an overseas delivery service to over 25 countries, with dedicated websites for customers internationally, in Ireland and Australia.

It was from personal experiences with recovery from injuries that Kruis and former teammate Dominic Day discovered cannabidiol (CBD) and from their positive reactions with the product he set up fourfivecbd – a range of balms, oils, gels and capsules that incorporates CBD.

Their products are now sold in Next and on their website here.

The veteran fly-half, who will hang up his boots following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, confirmed in an interview with the Irish Times that he likely won't go into coaching.

Sexton said: "I would never say never, you never know what life is going to throw at you

“It wouldn’t be my plan straight away, if an offer came in, it wouldn’t be right for me to coach with guys I played with the last number of years.

"I certainly wouldn’t want to jeopardise this year, because if they find out you’re coaching them, the relationship changes straight away. I won’t be doing it for the foreseeable future.

"Rugby is my passion, it’s all I’ve known. I’ve been doing it for 20 years, longer maybe, when I was a kid. But I think it’s important to step away from it to try another walk of life. And then we’ll see what happens."

“I’ll go and see if I can do something in the business world, I’ve been doing a bit of work experience there over the last few years, one day a week, so I’ll go into that and see how it goes.

“It might not be for me. I might get the itch straight away and come out of retirement, play for St Marys!”

The previous year saw a significant rise in accumulated profits at the management company owned by Johnny Sexton, the renowned rugby captain of Ireland.

The profits surged by nearly £307,000, reaching an impressive total of almost £2.5m.

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