Former Australia captain Michael Hooper retires from international rugby
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Australia's Michael Hooper in action with South Africa's Marco van Staden and Duane Vermeulen.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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PARIS – Michael Hooper, who holds the record for the most caps as Australia captain, called time on his international rugby career on June 30 after missing out on selection for the Paris Olympics.
The 32-year-old, who played 125 Tests for the Wallabies – 69 of them as skipper – announced his immediate retirement on social media.
“What a ride! My Olympic journey has come to an end, and with it, my Australian rugby career,” Hooper said in a statement via social media.
“To the Aussie Sevens team, I wish you all the best, you’ve been an awesome, helpful, and talented group of athletes to be part of.
“As for my time in Australian Rugby, I’m grateful to my family and friends for their unwavering support throughout.
“We’ve shared an incredible journey, filled with unforgettable experiences, challenges, and memories. Thank you.”
Hooper became the Wallabies captain in 2014 at the age of 23. He went on to play in the side that won the 2015 Rugby Championship and reached the final of the World Cup the same year.
He also featured in the 2019 World Cup but missed two months in the summer of 2022 when he was treated for depression.
He returned to play again for the Wallabies, taking the field for the last time in his final Test in South Africa in 2023.
Hooper was jettisoned by incoming coach Eddie Jones for the 2023 World Cup, prompting the move to sevens in a bid to make it into the team for the Olympics.
“Michael has been an incredible player and ambassador for our sport,” said Australia Rugby chief Phil Waugh in a statement.
With his club NSW Waratahs, where he spent 10 seasons after starting out at ACT Brumbies, he won the 2014 edition of Super Rugby.
Meanwhile, France’s star scrum-half Antoine Dupont was omnipresent once again as his club Toulouse claimed a third Top 14 and Champions Cup double on June 28 but his mind now switches to this summer’s home Olympic Games.
Dupont was unplayable at times as the aristocrats of French rugby cruised past Bordeaux Begles 59-3 in Marseille to add to May’s Champions Cup success.
The 27-year-old scored two tries and set up another less than a month from the Olympic men’s sevens final at the Stade de France.
A victory in Paris would be historic for Les Bleus, beating the women’s silver medal in Tokyo in 2021.
“I have one week of holidays before I join up with the Olympics squad,” Dupont told France Televisions after the victory.
“I will enjoy this, rest up to get there with a fresh mind and to be motivated to start again to win something else,” the 2021 World Rugby Player of the Year added.
REUTERS, AFP
