Wallaby star David Pocock arrested after coal mine protest

Former Wallaby captain David Pocock has been arrested after locking himself to a digger to protest the construction of a coal mine in New South Wales.

The 26-year-old flanker, who has not played rugby since an operation to reconstruct his knee last March, and wife, Emma, joined a group of 30 protesters at the site of the Maules Creek mine in Leard Forest, 600km north of Sydney. 'It's incredibly important that we have conversations about this,' Pocock said. 'In 2014, to put a coal mine in the middle of a state forest just doesn't seem to make any sense.' The ACT Brumbies forward was one of seven protestors to chain themselves to an excavator as part of the blockade and insisted he was staying until someone came to cut him loose.

Locked on selfie with 5th generation farmer, @Ricklaird14, protesting Whitehaven's new coalmine in Leard State Forest pic.twitter.com/VkgIYlZgYu — David Pocock (@pocockdavid) November 29, 2014

After ten hours locked to the vehicle, Pocock and a local farmer were taken into custody by local police, according to the protest group the Leard Forest Alliance. Emma Pocock also found herself under arrest, tweeting a photo of herself in the back of a police van.

First ride in a police vehicle with my paddy wagon pal, Bruin. Lock on still in full swing. #LeardBlockade pic.twitter.com/V7KUplvxyu — Emma Pocock (@emmaawpocock) November 29, 2014