The creative streak of Rotherham Titans action man John Okafor

GETTING AROUND: John Okafor at the European Champions Cup final

THERE’S no chance of all-action rugby player John Okafor being stuck for things to do now the season has come to an end.

"Life is too short so you’ve got to throw yourself into as many things as possible,” says the 25-year-old.

John backs up those words with actions away from his training nights and match days with Rotherham Titans.

He works in finance recruitment, is moving into investments and has built up a social media following of many thousands due to his “content creation” work.

John Okafor goes in for a try in the promotion-clinching win away to Billingham last season.

It has taken to him to places far beyond the domestic rugby circuit, which is a bonus for this genial giant who is as comfortable talking into a camera as making a tackle.

“My day to day is recruitment, but I do a little bit of freelance social media with Rugby Pass and World Rugby and have been for about two-and-a-half to three years,” he explains.

"It's allowed me to go to countries I would never have gone to. Just under two years ago I was at the European Champions final pitchside in Marseilles watching Leinster play La Rochelle.

"Being on the pitch after La Rochelle won off the last play of the game, that’s the sort of memory I’m going to have for the rest of my life.

John Okafor in the thick of it at Clifton Lane.

"It was an incredible privilege and I’ve met some incredible people because of this work.

"I’ve been down to London, Edinburgh, all over the country and the world. It’s been a fantastic opportunity. I don’t think any of those things for granted.”

Busy on Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), John is very much a child of the digital age.

"When you see other rugby players like Danny Cipriani, Danny Care and Ugo Monye on TV, you think ‘I might want to have a go at that.’

"When I was younger I was on TV at 21. When I’m older it’s one those things I can tell my kids ‘I was on TV’.

"I have more followers than the average person on social media, about 86,000.

"It is stuff I have built up. It’s a platform just to go and do other things.

"I’d like to grow it a bit but I don’t put any pressures on myself to reach a certain amount of followers because that takes the enjoyment out of it. If people want to follow me then great. If not I don’t really care because I enjoy it.”

Okafor’s off-field interests don’t sap his energy for the days when he wears the Rotherham shirt.

Signed only last summer, he is a powerful and quick back row who has bloomed to become one of the most prominent members of the team which has just won promotion.

And while he’s committed to go as far as he can in rugby, it doesn’t hurt to look at the long game.

"I’m 25 now and you start thinking, how many years have you got playing rugby?

"With social media, it is always changing. With these things you’ve got stay ahead of the trend and stay current.

“I’ve got one eye on what my life will look like after 30 and what I’ll be doing at 32 or 33. It’s sensible to be thinking about what sort of career path I will be looking at after my playing days are over

"Recently I’ve been fortunate enough to buy my first flat, up in Leeds, and life is good.”