Two years after making his Test debut, Tom Hooper, the rising Australian forward who carried two All Blacks over with him to score a famous try in Dunedin to seal his place in the 2023 World Cup squad, is the latest to sign with an overseas club.
The Roar can reveal the 23-year-old will return to the United Kingdom later this year just months after earning a recall to Joe Schmidt’s end of year Wallabies squad.
After starring for Australia A in early November, Hooper not only impressed hungry scouts on the hunt for a versatile and hard-working forward but did enough to earn a recall to Schmidt’s Wallabies side.
But it shapes as the last time the Australian public will see him in gold anytime soon, with the Brumbies forward signing with Exeter Chiefs – the same club veteran Wallaby Scott Sio captains.
Despite featuring under Joe Schmidt in 2024, rising Wallabies forward Tom Hooper is off to Exeter in the English Premiership. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Just like Montpellier-bound back-rower Langi Gleeson, Hooper was nowhere to be seen in last week’s Wallabies camp after signing with the rebuilding Gallagher Premiership side.
Although Hooper went backwards in selection under Schmidt last year, it’s believed Rugby Australia wanted to keep Hooper in the game.
But with the governing body also trying to reverse wage inflation, it always shaped as being an uphill battle to keep the larger than life figure, especially given the Chiefs offered roughly double what RA put on the table to keep him.
Throw in the fact that Hooper went from a starter under Eddie Jones to on the fringe under Schmidt, and the decision became easier for the Brumbies forward.
His departure is likely to hurt more over time.
While Hooper was on the biggest bolters in 2023, the country boy has years of growth left as he develops more power.
Yet, the 199cm, 120kg forward also barged over Damian McKenzie and Will Jordan out wide to score in just his third Test wearing the No.7 jersey in New Zealand’s south 18 months ago.
That eye-catching display sealed his place in Jones’ World Cup squad.
“I think young ‘Hoops’ has progressed really nicely over the period of time,” Jones said at the time.
“If you look at the first Test against South Africa, he was struggling to make a tackle and by the end of the Rugby Championships, he made 20 tackles, carried over the top of All Blacks forwards and that’s the progression this team is going to make.”
Tom Hooper dives over to score against the All Blacks at Forsyth Barr Stadium on August 05, 2023 in Dunedin. (Photo by Peter Meecham/Getty Images)
One of the biggest characters in Australian rugby and cut from the same cloth as Nick ‘the honey badger’ Cummins, Hooper also went from being gold material off the pitch in 2023 to barely being heard a year later.
His departure means his absence will be felt on and off the field.
Several other Wallabies are strongly considering leaving Australian rugby despite the governing body’s hardline stance of putting lines through players ahead of the Lions series if they decide to leave.
It’s a risky play on the eve of RA’s so-called “golden decade”.
