Michael Hooper confirms Sevens switch in push for 2024 Olympic glory

Former Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper has officially signed for the Australian Sevens side as he looks to make a push for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Hooper revealed he wanted to make the switch after he was omitted from the Wallabies’ 2023 Rugby World Cup squad by then-head coach Eddie Jones, who claimed the veteran was not a good role model.

The 32-year-old had a decorated career in Wallabies gold including captaining his country more times than any other player and winning the John Eales Medal as Australia’s player of the year on four occasions.

New challenge ahead

The Test centurion switches his attention to a different form of the game with the revamped SVNS season first on the cards. Hooper thanked the coaches for the chance to join the program and is looking forward to earning his way into the side.

“Firstly, I’d like to thank John Manenti (Australian Men’s Sevens coach) and Scott Bowen (National Performance Manager – Sevens) for the opportunity to join the program in what is a massively exciting year with the Olympics on the horizon,” said Hooper.

“The transition is something I have thought a lot about and I’m extremely motivated by the challenge of playing Sevens and trying to earn my way into this team.

“I’ve started making a few changes to my training in preparation and can’t wait to get started in January.”

Navigating changes

It will be an interesting transition for Hooper to navigate with less focus on physicality and more on speed and endurance which will require changes to his body.

“I guess the benefit of not having to carry as much bulk is going to be good,” Hooper said.

“You know, you’re not playing 130-150 kilo blokes week in, week out, but you’re playing guys that can run 10 metres a second. So we’ve got to change my body to fit into that mould.”

Manenti expects it will take the former Wallaby some time to adapt to the Sevens game and is hoping to have Hooper ready to go by the time the circuit stops in Perth in late January.

“I am prepared to be patient with him … it’ll be a build-up,” Manenti said.

“I know it’d be a wonderful story to have him running on in Perth at the end of January but we will only consider that if he’s ready, and he’s earned selection. It may be a push too far. We will wait and see, but we’ll definitely err on the side of caution.”

The coach has been impressed with Hooper’s work ethic and influence on the squad, suggesting the flank has the tools required to excel in Sevens.

“He openly admits he has to learn the game, he has to get conditioned, there is lots of stuff around that,” Manenti said.

“We know he’s hard on the ball, we know he has a big engine and we know he’s pretty tough. They’re not bad assets to have.

“His general skill set, his leadership, his professionalism, are going to have a great impact on the lads. He has already had a few training sessions with us, and the impact and energy around the boys as soon as he comes in just goes up. The quality goes up. If a bloke misses a pass to him by two per cent it’s like ‘ah sorry mate, sorry’. I am like ‘you didn’t apologise for that last week!’.”

READ MORE: Wallabies legend throws his name in the hat to replace Eddie Jones