Hooper: Wallabies can hurt Ireland
Australia captain Michael Hooper says the Wallabies will be looking to outpace Six Nations champions Ireland in the opening Test on Saturday.
Ireland are favourites to draw first blood at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, having not tasted defeat since March 2017.
Joe Schmidt’s side defeated France and England away from home to secure their third Grand Slam earlier this year.
Hooper, however, insists the Wallabies – who have debutants Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Caleb Timu in the squad – are capable of hurting Ireland thanks to the likes of Will Genia, Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale.
“We’d be silly not to run the ball with some of the strike power we’ve got,” Hooper told reporters on Friday after prop Allan Alaalatoa was replaced by Tom Robertson due to an ankle injury.
“We’ve got a really fit team, forwards who want to work and can get over the ad line with a mobile back row.
“We’ve seen through Super Rugby some of the damage that the backs can do and some of the form our playmakers are in.
“We’ve got to be smart with how we do it. This stuff does need a little bit of a tweak and how we relieve pressure in these games because we know the Irish are good, they build pressure.
“We saw what they did to some of the teams in the Six Nations, how they can put up a kick anywhere on the field and just keep putting pressure on – how we deal with that is critical.”
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Hooper added: “It’s great for momentum, it’s great for confidence to know that you can do it and it doesn’t put you up against a decider straight away.
“It would be lovely to win the first one, of course, and try things out. We’re keen to get off to a good start tomorrow and really just do the stuff we talk about and the stuff we say a lot.
“We want to be true to our mantra and how we want to play the game and how we want to be viewed by our fans and that’s playing a good, enjoyable, strong game of rugby.”
Hooper is also excited to see back-rower Pete Samu in action at Suncorp, after the Crusaders star was granted a release by New Zealand Rugby.
Melbourne-born Samu, who has signed for Super Rugby outfit the Brumbies for 2019, left New South Wales for New Zealand in 2014.
Back in Australia’s sights and set to feature against Ireland, Hooper – who trained alongside Samu with the Waratahs in 2013 – said: “You think back and think, ‘how could we have lost him at the time?'”
“I do remember him and you go ‘oh damn!’ when you see him starting and really come through at the Crusaders.
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments