Former Australia rugby team captain David Pocock has been elected to the Australian federal parliament as senator.
Pocock made history by becoming the first independent candidate to achieve the feat and will occupy one of the two-senate positions for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
The 34-year-old has been actively championing the community, and grassroots rugby development, since his retirement from rugby in 2020.
In his statement, Pocock thanked his community for the historic win, and the honour to represent them.
“Today, the extraordinary movement of people we brought together across the ACT made history. For the first time, we have an independent voice representing our community in the federal parliament.” read the statement in part.
We've officially made history! Thank you all.
What a huge honour to be able to serve the people of the ACT as a Senator. pic.twitter.com/OoORMmjJ4Z
— David Pocock (@pocockdavid) June 14, 2022
Pocock made his debut for the Wallabies in 2008, going on to make over 80 appearances, including three world cups, notably the 2015 Rugby World Cup final loss to New Zealand.
He made his final appearance for the national team in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and later called time to his 15-year rugby career in 2020.
