Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper has made a surprising move to rugby sevens, leaving behind his 15-man game career. The 32-year-old, who was once the most-capped Wallabies skipper, was unceremoniously dropped by coach Eddie Jones before the World Cup trip to France. Now, Hooper has joined the sevens squad, marking a new chapter in his sporting journey.
In an exclusive interview with Wide World of Sports in September, Hooper revealed his ambition to play at the Olympic Games next year. Despite his 13 years of professional rugby experience, he acknowledges that the transition to sevens will be a shock to his system. He mentioned, “A lot of running. The most I’ve ever seen.” Hooper expressed his excitement about the new challenge, stating, “To play in a sevens tournament and potentially go to the Olympics, it is exciting stuff. It would be an amazing experience. There is so much water under the bridge to get into that environment. I’ve trained with these guys. They are hungry and can run forever. I’m one of the bigger guys in the team, which is very unusual. It should be great.”
Hooper, a four-time John Eales Medal winner, has an impressive record of 125 Tests for Australia and captained the Wallabies in 69 games. However, his journey with the Wallabies took a controversial turn when he was dropped by Jones and excluded from the World Cup trip to France, where Australia failed to advance beyond the group stages for the first time ever.
Eddie Jones, who recently resigned from his Wallabies job, has been linked to the Japan coaching position. Meanwhile, Hooper is set to officially join the Australian sevens program in January and is eager to make his tournament debut in Perth over the Australia Day long weekend.