Tom Hooper on Wales loss: 'That'll fuel me for the rest of my career'
Young flanker Tom Hooper is embracing the pain of the Wallabies’ woeful World Cup performance, saying he will use it as fuel for the future.
The 22-year-old was part of the youth brigade ushered in by coach Eddie Jones, but historic losses to Wales and Fiji have left former players and fans fearing for the youngsters’ mental health.
The Australians face Portugal in their final pool match in Saint-Etienne on Sunday (Monday AEST) and, barring a miracle in Fiji’s remaining two games, will be heading home from France before the quarter-finals for the first time.
If Fiji beat Georgia with a bonus point in their match on Saturday, the Wallabies are out.
Hooper said the entire squad was hurting after their record 40-6 loss to Wales last round which effectively ended their campaign, but it wasn’t something he would try to forget.
“I don’t think I’ll ever move on from it, but I think that’s a good thing,” said Hooper, who grew up in Bathurst before joining the Brumbies.
“The night we had, it pulled on the heartstrings a bit, it hurt a lot, but that’s something that’ll fuel me for the rest of my career.
“I’m sure I’m speaking on behalf of a lot of the young blokes – it’s a night that we have to remember because we don’t want to feel that again.”
Hooper was already thinking about the “hard yakka” ahead and had messaged his younger brother Lachie, who is also at the Brumbies, to warn him about their off-season training plans in Canberra.
Hooper again defended coach Eddie Jones, who has been in the firing line for his selection, tactics and his link to the Japan national coaching job.
He said Jones had done his best to help the team bounce back from the Wales wipe-out.
“Same old Eddie, he’s always cracking jokes with the guys and making sure spirits are high, and he had some really, really encouraging words for us on the night after and that’ll stay in house.
“He’s a great mentor and he made sure the boys were all right.
“You see from his media encounters, even from the way he coaches he’s always looking after us, number one – to the point where he’ll sometimes fall on the sword for us … a man that’s willing to do that for your team is a pretty special man.”
With the Wallabies team named on Friday, Lalakai Foketi is set to make up a new centre pairing with Izaia Perese.
Foketi said world No.16 Portugal, who drew with Georgia in their last match, would be far from easy-beats.
They led an Australia A team at halftime in a World Cup warm-up match before falling 30-17.
“We’ve watched a bit of footage of that game, Australia A versus Portugal,” Foketi said.
“They’re a really good sevens side and we expect them to throw the ball around.
“We’ve got to be physical but we’ve missed a few opportunities in this World Cup to expose teams out wide and we’ve spoken about that and if there’s opportunity there we’re not going to be afraid to definitely pull the trigger.
“It could potentially be our last week so we want show the type of footy that we’ve wanted to play all year.
“We want to show Australia and our supporters that we do care and and we want to leave a massive performance out there and come away with a win.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Yes, Finau looks like the best option. Blackadder is not big enough for an international 6 - he should join the queue at 7. Frizzell had the power and heft and line-out height to play lock, so maybe that is where the ABs should be looking, not at a 7 who’s not big enough for 6, but at a lock who might have the agility to play 6, like Scott Barrett, or… Natai Ah Kuoi, who absolutely fits that bill, but seldom gets to play 6 because the Chiefs have so many loosies.
20 Go to commentsPaul Quinn was a National MP.
5 Go to commentsNo need to worry about losers’ mentality hysteria from Australia. Finau has all the attributes, I don't recall a high or no arms tackle from him, and his timing has been controlled very well since the round 3 Lynagh tackle. It's an easy decision for Razor, the only question is who should back him up from the bench. He can't be overworked like Squire was in his first full season.
20 Go to comments“Reds coach Les Kiss saying later: “I think every player has the right to feel safe.” Maybe Rugby is the wrong sport for people who want to feel safe..?
20 Go to commentsNot sure what the context was, but the highlights showed one scrum against Aussie where the baby Blacks were going backwards at a pace. The pack has been the issue since 2017, so they might be in for another reality check soon. This tournament should really have been two rounds, would have learned a lot more.
1 Go to commentsPeter Lakai has a ‘lot of size’? Since when? To Kirifi maybe. I think Laidlaw clearly saw he’s too small for 6 or 8, so plonked him at 7. Has potential to be Ardies understudy in black for 7.
5 Go to commentsDalton for skipper?
14 Go to commentsOh he's ‘Irish qualified’ isn't that convenient. If Ireland get any more Kiwis (and Aussie) in their backline they might need to run out in green and black kit soon. How is the supposed best rugby system in the world in need of trawling for journeyman Kiwi players?
2 Go to commentsCallum Grace is playing well now that he's finally back in his best position. But given it was Razor who somehow thought Grace was dynamic enough to be a No8 when he's clearly not, Im not sure he’d backtrack on that. Finau is risky with his style, and there's almost no point picking Blackadder when he can’t stay on the field more than five minutes.
20 Go to commentsThe team on paper has more supposed ‘stars’ than a lot of the sides they’re losing to. They’ve got the Razor-blues and aren't playing for Penney. He should jump before he's pushed.
1 Go to commentsProof. That if you lay dramatic instrumental hip hop music over a video of a skinny pale white kid running an unopposed zig zag on a training ground filled with rookies - it’ll look next-level epic!
12 Go to commentsIf they win the challenge Cup then it will have all been worth it. If they don’t, then maybe he should go. Lots of ppl seem to think very highly of him as a coach, but maybe he would be better working under someone. Any top sides looking for forwards coaches rn?
1 Go to commentsJason Ryan knows his craft as forwards coach and I'm sure he’ll hold sway with Scott Robertson of who he feels worthy of selection…his credentials validated when he put a 7xcaps between them front row...Ethan, Samisoni and Lomax on Ellis Park…Go the AB's…
20 Go to commentsFascinating. I’m optimistic about a team coached by Schmiddy, Cron and Parling
14 Go to commentsI think if Blackadder is fit, he has to be in the team. If he isn’t, Finau would be good, and I always thought Akira deserved more of a crack at it. I think he looked better than ppl gave him credit.
20 Go to commentsThanks again Nick and interesting comments from Parling about his lineout preferences. Bearing in mind what Schmidt has said about prioritising Oz based players initially we may not see Skeleton until the EOY trip to Ireland and the UK. To me that suggests that Cale has to be ready by then. In the meantime we get 3 jumpers by having 2 jumping locks and a Wright/Swinton/Holloway/Leota type of guy at 6. I think that he (Parling) would do well to coach Valentini and Wilson to jump more. Surely they could learn more about this?
14 Go to commentsdo what the ABs normally do and cruise around the South Pacific to cherry-pick the contenders
20 Go to commentsGood read, GP comes across as a very knowledgeable guy and pretty decent human to boot! Genuinely leaves me wondering though, how Australia’s second city could be in with a serious possibility of being left without a pro team. Just how does that get to happen? Credit to the team though, they’re performing pretty well under some horrible circumstances and pressure on their livelihoods. Whoever made the call to boot out DR, his staff and the structure/connections/succession plans he had put in place in unbelievably short order needs strung up by their most sensitive body parts. Thought that at the time and of course, events unfolded even worse than feared!
14 Go to commentsCan’t see an appetite to pick Brad Shields for obvious reasons, but Devan Flanders has got to be in with a shout.
20 Go to commentsThe rise of Hunter Paisami! Good read Nick (as ever). Cheers.
14 Go to comments