Episode Seven - Ian Prior
Ian Prior is a professional rugby union player born to Zimbabwean parents. Ian spent part of his childhood in Zimbabwe before returning to Australia, a duality that would define one of the most extraordinary late-career chapters in Australian sporting history.
Ian made his Super Rugby debut for the Queensland Reds in 2011, becoming part of the championship-winning squad that year. He went on to play for the ACT Brumbies, including the historic 2013 side that defeated the British & Irish Lions, before joining the Perth-based Western Force in 2014.
At the Force, Ian became a legend of the franchise - one of only three players to achieve 100 appearances. He captained the side through its most turbulent period: the axing from Super Rugby in 2017. Under his leadership, the Force claimed the 2019 National Rugby Championship title.
After 14 years of professional rugby and over 200 first-class appearances across the globe, retirement was a real possibility, but fate had other plans. Ian answered the call of the Zimbabwe Rugby Union. What followed was extraordinary: back-to-back Rugby Africa Cup titles in 2024 and 2025, a Player of the Tournament accolade, and historic qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. Zimbabwe’s first since 1991. Perhaps the proudest moments in his rugby career is yet to be written representing Zimbabwe in the World Cup in Australia in 2027.
Off the field, Ian is a sought-after keynote speaker and facilitator with Mettle Global, working with organisations focusing on leadership, building resilience, developing high-performance teams and crisis management.
Ian holds an impressive education record, including a Bachelor of Exercise & Sport Science, a Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology (Rehabilitation) and is currently completing his Master of High Performance Sport.
Above all else, he continues to be driven and inspired by those that matter most: his wife Lizzy and kids, daughter Riley and son Jack.