Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper makes shock switch to rugby sevens ahead of next year’s Olympic Games

With the Paris Olympics looming large, former Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper has switched his focus to rugby sevens.

Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper is poised to become an Olympian after joining Australia’s rugby sevens program.

Capped 125 times for the Wallabies, 32-year-old Hooper was overlooked for World Cup selection this year by recently departed coach Eddie Jones.

Despite Jones’s resignation, Hooper’s focus isn’t on regaining his Wallabies jersey but instead on becoming a key member of Australia’s rugby sevens team.

“The transition is something I have thought a lot about and I’m extremely motivated by the challenge of playing sevens and trying to earn my way into this team,” said Hooper, who hopes to play his first HSBC sevens series tournament in Perth in January.

“I’ve started making a few changes to my training in preparation and can’t wait to get started in January.”

Michael Hooper is happy to have made the switch to rugby sevens. Picture: Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images for Barbarians

Hooper was grateful for the chance given to him by Australian men’s sevens coach John Manenti and sevens national performance manager Scott Bowen.

“I’d like to thank John Manenti and Scott Bowen for the opportunity to join the program in what is a massively exciting year with the Olympics on the horizon,” he said.

“It’s an exciting environment to be around.

“The Olympics is huge. It’s something that I never thought I’d be a part of, to have that as an end point for this season is huge, but I’m coming in as an absolute rookie in this (rugby sevens) world.”

The Australian men’s sevens team qualified for next year’s Paris Olympics courtesy of finishing fifth in this year’s World Rugby sevens series.

The top four nations were guaranteed Olympic Games spot but with France, who finished fourth, automatic qualifiers with Paris being the host city, qualification spots extended to fifth place on the rankings.

Manenti said Hooper’s signing would boost the team’s hopes of winning an Olympic Games medal for the first time.

“Michael is an outstanding rugby player and a great leader, so we’re thrilled to have him join our program,” Manenti said.

“We know he’s got a strong skill set for sevens and a big engine and we’re looking forward to helping him transition quickly to the format.

“He is a player with big-game experience and to have someone like Michael in our set-up can be a point of difference for us next year.”

Originally published as Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper makes shock switch to rugby sevens ahead of next year’s Olympic Games