Michael Hooper Takes First Steps as Sevens Rookie on Olympics

The lungs were burning and the lips were bleeding, Michael Hooper looked like he had endured 80 minutes of Chaos, not 127 seconds of play. But after a fast and furious debut at the Hong Kong World Series on Saturday, the Wallabies legend’s second coming as a Rugby sevens rookie is finally underway.

As a rule, Hooper delivered from the start with a spectacular cameo against Fiji that sealed a 12-0 victory. Seconds after taking the field, the 32-year-old crushed consecutive tackles, then awarded a penalty on his first kick before forcing a decisive turnaround with a trademark Pilfer at the Breakdown.

“I was really nervous… it was really a bit of a blur,” the 32-year-old after admitted. “On the sidelines, it was completely new: the whole draw of the day and the Fans were already crazy. I didn’t start a lot on the bench, so it was difficult to continue with the game in balance.”

But Hooper is nothing if not tough. During a stormy decade for Australian Rugby, he was the smacken face and indomitable heart of the Wallabies for 125 Tests. When Eddie Jones dropped the veteran flanker from his World Cup squad, claiming Hooper was “not the right role model,” there was an outcry.

After 11 years of applauding his exploits in defeat, the Fans were furious that the captain had been cut so cruelly. Even angrier when the young leaderless Wallabies crashed, burned and bombed in the pool steps. Even Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh condemned Jones’ assessment of Hooper as “absolutely unfair”.

Perhaps Hooper’s sharpest defence has come from the man now overseeing him, seven-man Australian coach John Manenti. “His reputation was nothing more than that – a good role model, a good work ethic, a good training ethic. He is uncompromising about his standards and beliefs.”

Since the announcement of Hooper’s switch to sevens while he was looking for a place at the Paris Olympic Games, Manenti has been patient with his famous recruit, treating calf and Achilles tendon injuries and slowly acclimatizing him to the particular frenzy of Rugby sevens and its repeated efforts at high speed.

During his rehabilitation, Hooper worked hard to lose weight and gain speed. “You don’t play against guys weighing 130 to 150 kilos, you play against guys who can run 10 meters per second,” Hooper admits. “So we have to adapt my body to this shape. Not having to wear so much volume will be nice.”

Before Hooper’s Hong Kong debut, Manenti praised the Senior statesman’s modesty. “He openly admits that he needs to learn the game [and] be conditioned. But we know he’s tough on the ball, we know he’s got a big engine and we know he’s pretty tough. These are not bad assets to have.”

But Sevens is a fast and unpredictable game. Just a few hours after his appearance in Fiji, Australia played against France and Hooper again ran late to defend a 14-5 lead. He rushed to the line, was briefly tackled and turned the ball over, prompting the sapphires to action back and score two late tries to claim a 19-14 victory. Hooper remained on the bench during Australia’s 24-7 semi-final loss to defending Hong Kong champions New Zealand.