No split loyalties for Hooper against England

Updated November 14, 2012 17:49:49

Australia's Michael Hooper has insisted he won't have any concerns about split loyalties when Australia play England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Hooper is set to continue at open-side flanker in the ongoing absence of back-row star David Pocock, who has been ruled out of the Cook Cup Test match with a calf injury.

And if he does take the field at Twickenham it will be the first time the 21-year-old loose forward, who has already won 10 caps since making his debut in June, will have played against England, the country where his father was born.

His dad David Hooper was a second-rower with Blackheath, in south-east London, before leaving Britain for Australia aged 24 to play for the Manly club in Sydney.

"My dad cheers for the Wallabies, I don't think he'd be allowed in the house if he didn't," Hooper junior said.

"He will be at Twickenham. My grandparents will be there and my dad's brother is still English so I'm not sure what flag they'll be waving on Saturday, hopefully Australian.

"My dad's bigger than me, so I got the wrong genes there. He loves rugby and enjoys watching Australia play."

And as for his father's role in his own rugby career, Hooper said, "He is probably my biggest critic and gives great advice.

"He'll always give me an honest account of how I played and what I should work on.

"There's a good mutual agreement in place -- he won't hold back on how I played which is a good thing to have."

"He tries to get to most games and is bit of a sucker for it."

Australia had hoped to have Pocock, one of the world's leading back-row forwards and a renowned breakdown specialist, back in action at Twickenham after being sidelined from recent Wallaby Tests with knee ligament damage, including last weekend's 33-6 thrashing by France in Paris.

But that plan was ruined by a calf strain and now Hooper, a player in a similar mould, is looking forward to the next chapter of an "awesome" year.

"This year I just wanted to get a starting spot for (Super 15 club) the Brumbies, so it's funny how things turn out. It's been awesome for me," he said.

"You want to play as much as possible and become a consistent starter. I've had the opportunity to do that.

"David will be back soon and that's a good problem for the team to have.

"He's a great player and that pushes all of the open-sides in the squad to improve."

Australia may have gone nearly three hours' playing time without a try, an astonishing statistic given the Wallaby tradition of running rugby, but Hooper is confident they'll have no problems raising their level against England.

"We're going to really bring it and are excited about this game. It should be a great game," Hooper said.

"It's all about this weekend and making history. It's a great rivalry between England and Australia and Twickenham is a great stadium.

"Their tails will be up after getting so many points on the board against Fiji (England beat the Pacific Islanders 54-12 at Twickenham last Saturday).

"There were 80,000 yelling at us in Paris last weekend and it was a great atmosphere. This weekend will be no different, so it was good to get that new experience out of the way."

AFP

Tags: rugby-union, sport, england, united-kingdom, australia

First posted November 14, 2012 17:24:39

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Hooper primed for breakdown scrap

Updated September 05, 2012 17:00:08

Wallabies flanker Michael Hooper says he expects to cop a physical battering when he fronts up against South Africa in Perth on Saturday night.

Hooper will start at openside flanker in the absence of the injured David Pocock, who was at his pilfering best against the Springboks at last year's World Cup.

Pocock's dominant display at the breakdown lifted the Wallabies to an unlikely 11-9 victory in their quarter-final in Wellington, despite the Springboks dominating the match.

With Pocock nursing a knee injury that has ruled him out of the remainder of the Rugby Championship, the 20-year-old Hooper knows he has big shoes to fill as the Wallabies attempt to win the crucial breakdown battle against the Springboks.

The Springboks have opted against using a specialist openside flanker in recent matches in the injury-enforced absence of their specialist Heinrich Brussow and Hooper senses that creates an opportunity.

But he is also bracing himself for a physical battering from the bigger-bodied Springboks, who drew 16-16 away to Argentina in their last start.

"I guess when you're going for a turnover or putting your head in the breakdown, they come in flying," Hooper said.

"But in saying that, you've got a bit of an opportunity, a bit of a window to force a turnover, because they are bigger blokes.

"They probably will be a step or two [slower] than if they were playing a traditional seven.

"There's opportunities there, but you've got to be prepared to be belted."

Hooper grew up idolising Wallabies great George Smith, who gave him a call recently to wish him all the best when he replaced the injured Pocock for the last Test loss to the All Blacks.

"It was nice to hear from a legend like him," Hooper said. "He gave me some little words of wisdom about what to expect.

"I got to spend his last year in Australia with him down at the Brumbies and I learned a lot off him.

"He's a great bloke off the field as well as player on."

The Wallabies have recalled full-back Kurtley Beale for Saturday night's match, while Adam Ashley-Cooper reverts to outside centre after the more defence-oriented Rob Horne was dropped from the squad altogether.

Number eight Radike Samo replaces Scott Higginbotham in the starting XV, although Higginbotham is expected to play the bulk of the second half.

The Wallabies have won their past four matches against the Springboks, but coach Robbie Deans says that winning run will count for little ahead of their latest encounter.

"At the end of the day it doesn't matter," Deans said.

"The players understand that when you play the Springboks, you play a side that's always committed and you've got to earn everything you get, and it won't be any different on Saturday.

"The past is irrelevant."

AAP

Tags: rugby-union, sport, south-africa

First posted September 05, 2012 16:18:15

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Hooper avoids suspension for Vito lift

Updated May 22, 2012 15:07:36

Brumbies flanker Michael Hooper is free to face the Reds in Saturday night's Super Rugby clash after avoiding suspension for his lifting tackle on Hurricanes number eight Victor Vito.

The 20-year-old was found guilty and issued an off-field yellow card but SANZAR ruled the offence was at the low end of the scale.

The result came early on Tuesday morning after his hearing on Monday night via video link at the Brumbies Rugby Training Centre.

Hooper received the yellow card for the tackle on Vito in the 48th minute of Friday night's 37-25 win in Wellington.

In a statement released by SANZAR, judicial officer Nick Davidson QC concluded that Hooper made an orthodox tackle around the knees but was propelled back by the ball carrier who drove forward with his right leg raised high.

"Hooper did not change his hold on that leg and his other arm was in contact but ineffectual. From that position, the ball carrier was left without balance on his left foot.

"This was not so much a lifting but holding the right leg in a high position which, with the momentum, saw Vito fall sharply to his left, landing on his elbow then shoulder.

"He was not injured. The referee was emphatic that the penalty was sufficient and reflected a lifting and losing control, rather than a tipping or driving."

An off-field yellow card can be issued where the breach is at the low end and there are mitigating factors.

Hooper has enjoyed a breakout year in 2012 and has developed into one of the competition's most effective open-side flankers.

He has made 26 appearances after debuting in 2010 against the Chiefs.

AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-rugby, canberra-2600, act, brisbane-4000, australia

First posted May 22, 2012 09:24:27

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