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Michael Hooper: Wallabies 'keen to rip in' to England
Michael Hooper insists Australia are using their dismal run against England as fuel for Saturday’s series opener in Perth.
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Since becoming red rose head coach at the end of 2015, Eddie Jones has masterminded eight successive victories against the Wallabies, who he coached from 2001 to 2005.
Only one of those has come against Australia’s current boss Dave Rennie and even though England enter the series as underdogs, Hooper expects the matches to go down to the wire.
“It’s motivation to win and turn the ledger. We have three games at home to do it. It’s been a long time since we’ve played these fellas out here so we’re excited about it,” the captain said.
“History hasn’t been in our favour for quite some time now against the English and we’re keen to rip in.
“This is the top rivalry. Having the Ashes at the back end of last year and this year, the whole of the Australian population gets behind the team whether they’re here or in England.
“It’s about bragging rights so it’s big for the fans and for us. There’s some great history between the two teams.
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“They’re always a tough outfit. They’ve picked a powerful team with some real skill and experience. We’re expecting a tough time.
“We just need to get a couple of wins under our belt. In games of these magnitudes, it’s going to go back and forward and we need to stay in the fight, throw and absorb punches, get back on the front foot and attack these guys.”
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