HONG KONG – Former Australia captain Michael Hooper admitted he still has to adapt his game to have an impact on the sevens stage after making his international debut at the Hong Kong Sevens in his bid to secure a spot at the Olympic Games.
The 32-year-old featured in the final moments of Australia’s opening game at Hong Kong Stadium on April 5, a surprise 12-0 win over Olympic champions Fiji, as he launched his quest for selection for Paris in the summer.
“I was bloody nervous on the sideline,” Hooper told The Australian. “It’s just so different and completely new. The fans were going nuts... so to come on with four minutes to go with the game in the balance, it was tough stuff.”
The four-time Australian Player of the Year has appeared at the Rugby World Cup twice in the 15-a-side version but, after controversially missing out on the 2023 finals in France, switched to sevens in a bid to earn a spot in the Olympic team.
Wearing the No. 77 shirt, Hooper took to the field as a replacement for Nathan Lawson with Australia leading after tries from James Turner and Henry Hutchison.
He was immediately involved in the action, making consecutive tackles to snuff out Fijian attempts to find a way back into the game as Australia made a winning start to the tournament.
“I came on and did what I had to do,” Hooper said. “I just had to come in and finish it off for us.
“I’ve got a wealth of games under my belt, so I’m trying to lean into that. I’m completely new at this so finding out where I can impact the game, coming up against Fiji is pretty daunting. So I’ll just take it step by step from here.”
His performance earned praise from Australia coach John Manenti, who offered no guarantees of a place in the squad for Paris.
“He came on and did what he does pretty well, pilfer, so that was pretty significant,” Manenti said.
“He’s been working really hard to get here. We said from the start... he had to earn everything.
“You could see the boys who were on before him playing pretty good footy, so he’s going to have to keep fighting and keep proving himself.
“He doesn’t want anything given, but the only way we’re going to find out is putting him out there and keep testing him.
“I’m sure, the champion he is, he’ll keep turning up and doing his best.”
Hooper also came off the bench in their 19-14 defeat by France and 31-0 win over Canada in Pool A, and the Cup quarter-final against South Africa on April 6, when they won 15-0 to set up a semi-final against defending champions New Zealand on April 7.
The other semi-final pits Ireland against France, who are without Antoine Dupont. The Test captain has returned to 15-a-side action with his club Toulouse this weekend. REUTERS
