Wallabies star David Pocock says Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final will be made all the more memorable if his hero Sir David Attenborough accepts an invitation to attend the Twickenham showdown with New Zealand.

The teak tough back-rower, who is currently sporting two black eyes and a broken nose following Sunday’s bruising semi-final win over Argentina, has been the tournament’s outstanding player and leads the competition with an unrivalled 14 turnovers.

But instead of basking in the glory of helping Australia to a first World Cup final since 2003, Pocock, a vocal climate change activist, returned to his hotel room to watch a documentary by the veteran British conservationist.

“I’m a big fan of wildlife programmes, particularly those by David Attenborough. He’s a big hero of mine,” Pocock said.

“On Sunday for post-game recovery I put on a couple of Attenborough episodes and put my feet up.

“I was rewatching his Africa series. If he wants to come to the final I’m sure we could organise some tickets.

“He’s a legend.”

Pocock’s return to the international fold following two serious knee injuries has been a fundamental reason for the renaissance of the Wallabies under coach Michael Cheika.

And although he is as desperate to bring the Webb Ellis Cup back to Australia for the first time in 16 years as any other member of the squad, Pocock is adamant his achievements on the rugby field won’t define him.

“I’ve absolutely loved the game and I’m so grateful for the opportunity that it’s given me, but I’m very conscious of the fact that at the end of the game it’s a game,” he said.

“It’s there to be enjoyed, it can offer so much to us, but there’s certainly a lot more to life than chasing a rugby ball.

“In a group like this you’ve always got people from different backgrounds with different beliefs and different ways that they see life. To me that’s exciting.

“You get to live with those people and be able to challenge yourself and be able to talk about stuff other than rugby.”