Michael Hooper jumps on Wallabies Sevens bandwagon

Wallabies legend Michael Hooper has been offered an international swansong as part of Australia’s sevens outfit.

Michael Hooper was controversially denied a place in the Rugby World Cup squad earlier this year in what many feel would have been a fitting farewell to a man who has been the standout of his generation in Australia.

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MICHAEL HOOPER TO JOIN SEVENS SQUAD

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However, Hooper has been offered a shot at Olympic glory to bring the curtain down on a remarkable career.

Rugby Australia confirms that Hooper has switched to the sport’s shorter format ahead of the revamped HSBC SVNS season in 2023/24.

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Hooper will be the old hand of the squad but expects to learn a lot when he hits training on 1 January 2024.

When asked what he expected the training to entail, Hooper made it clear he knew that it would be a different challenge to the XVs format.

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“A lot of running, a lot of running – it’s the most I’ve ever seen,” Hooper said on Channel 9’s The Today Show on Thursday.

“I start in Jan, so the first competition is going to be Perth at the end of that month. It’s going to be a new challenge – I think that’s what’s so exciting for me.

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“I’ve done 15s for so long, I’ve been lucky to play in a Wallaby jersey for so long but to get into a sevens tournament with the potential to go to the Olympics, it’s pretty exciting stuff.”

NOT DREAMING OF GOLD JUST YET

Hooper isn’t thinking about the prospect of adding an Olympic medal to his list of career honours.

“It would be an amazing experience (but) there’s so much water under the bridge to go to being in that environment,” Hooper added.

“I’ve done a couple of days training with these guys and they’re hungry, they’re all about 22, they can run forever. I’m one of the bigger guys in the team which is very unusual.

“It’s going to be great.”