Rugby Union Star Michael Hooper’s Olympic Dream Remains Alive
Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper’s pursuit of representing Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics is still on track after he was named in the national sevens squad for upcoming trial matches against Fiji. This comes after Hooper decided to switch to the shorter format of the game at the end of last year, following his surprise omission from the Wallabies’ Rugby World Cup squad by then-head coach Eddie Jones.
Hooper, the legendary openside flanker, has participated in World Rugby SVNS tournaments in Hong Kong and Singapore, but earlier this month, Australia’s sevens coach John Manenti decided to give him some time off to rest and recover from a diagnosis of osteitis pubis, an inflammation of the groin. This decision appears to have paid off, as Hooper is now ready to take on the defending Olympic champions Fiji in a series of matches over two days.
“We got really good bang for our buck out of resting him. He’s trained really well the last couple of days and (has) no symptoms at this stage,” Manenti said, praising the decision to allow Hooper to recuperate. “We’re looking to push him hard in Fiji. The reality was he wasn’t going to be a big-minute player in Madrid and he was always going to play reasonably big minutes in Fiji.”
Joining Hooper in the Australian sevens squad for the Fiji trials are:
- Waratahs and Wallabies flyer Mark Nawaqanitawase, who was left out of Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies training squad for the upcoming mid-year internationals.
- Western Force’s Max Burey, who has previous experience with the national sevens setup.
“Mark has been with us before and Joe’s (Schmidt) decision not to take players that aren’t going to be around next season has freed him up,” Manenti explained. “Max had a good stint there in Super Rugby and with Moz (Longbottom) working towards being back for Paris ultimately he’s had a few hiccups along the way so Max is that instinctive player that can give us some creativity.”
With Hooper’s determination and the inclusion of talented players like Nawaqanitawase and Burey, Australia’s sevens team is poised to make a strong push for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, keeping Hooper’s Olympic dreams alive.
đź”— Source
