Wallabies news: Michael Hooper out of Bledisloe Cup series against All Blacks
Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has delivered the news Australian rugby fans were dreading after naming his side to take on South Africa.
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Michael Hooper will sit out the Bledisloe Cup series as he recovers from burnout, Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has confirmed.
The Australian captain left the squad the day before their first Rugby Championship match against Argentina on August 7, and has been resting in Sydney since and is “on the improve”.
There was some hope Hooper may return for the crucial Bledisloe series against the All Blacks starting September 15, but it’s now clear he could miss the rest of the year.
“I’ve had plenty of contact with Hoops, I’m not going to comment on where he’s at and what that looks like, we’re not looking to include him in the rest of the Rugby Championship,” Rennie said.
“We’ll make decisions beyond that, but certainly not looking to rush him in. But he’s certainly on the improve.”
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The Wallabies have three Rugby Championship matches left, against the Boks this Saturday in Sydney, followed by the first Bledisloe in Melbourne, and the second in Auckland on September 24.
They then embark on an arduous five-Test spring tour in the northern hemisphere starting with Scotland on October 30, followed by France, Italy, Ireland and Wales.
Those games will be key towards building for next year’s World Cup in France, and Hooper could yet make that tour.
But should he opt out, he has the reputation and credentials to return to the side as an automatic selection next year, although he may give up the captaincy to alleviate added pressure and responsibility and focus on himself.
Hooper’s Waratahs teammates Dave Porecki said: “I caught up with him when I got back [to Australia from Argentina], it’s obviously a bit weird not hearing his voice in here right now but he will eventually be back in.
“The boys are supportive, with respect that’s probably all I’m going to say on it.”
This weekend’s match at the revamped Allianz Stadium has sold out, and Rennie has been able to select the same starting side that defeated South Africa last week in Adelaide – the first time in his tenure as Wallabies coach he hasn’t been forced to change the run-out team.
“It helps, and it’s good to reward the guys who played last week,” Rennie said.
“We’ve got the same enemy, we can build on those combinations which is nice. It’s good to be able to pick the same XV.”
The Boks, meanwhile, have made eight changes and are missing stars Faf de Klerk, Handre Pollard, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Elton Jantjies.
“The depth in the Springboks is phenomenal, they’ve made changes, I’d imagine some based on form and some based on injury, we’ve been through that as well, you focus on who you’ve got and get on with it,” Rennie said.
“What we know is that it’s still a quality Springboks side, there’s a little bit of youth and energy included, we’re well aware of the threat they pose.”
Rennie said he’d moved on from last week’s controversial sin-binning of de Klerk after his halfback Nic White was roundly criticised for a delayed reaction to a high shot.
“We’ve moved on, what we know is that it was a penalty and rightly so, probably wasn’t a yellow card, that’s all I’ve got to say on it,” Rennie said.
The coach did warn that out-of-form prop Taniela Tupou, who will be on the bench, is primed for a return to form.
“There’s no doubt we need more out of him, he made an error early [last week], missed a tackle, then he got penalised at a scrum,” Rennie said.
“You’ve got to deal with those setbacks, he’s had a really good training week and he’s well aware we need more out of him. He’s an important player to us, so expect to see a different creature on Saturday.”
WALLABIES v SPRINGBOKS
Saturday, September 3, 7.30pm (AEST), Allianz Stadium, Sydney
TEENAGER PICKED TO STOP WALLABIES HIT MAN
A desperate and injury-plagued Springboks will unleash their brightest teenage talent against Marika Koroibete on Saturday, with the Wallabies to name an unchanged starting XV for the first time in four years.
Canan Moodie, just 19, has been picked for his Test debut marking Australia’s most dangerous player, last week’s matchwinner Koroibete.
Former Springboks coach Jake White, who coaches Moodie at the Bulls, recently declared the whiz kid will “play 100 Tests for South Africa”, such are the expectations on the flyer.
But there will be no tougher Test initiation than coming directly against Koroibete, who went viral for his brutal try-saving tackle on Makzole Mapimpi at Adelaide Oval, followed by a brilliant try.
For once, the Wallabies are settled and their opponents are reeling.
Not since the 2018 series against Ireland has Australia managed to name the same starting XV in successive games.
Meanwhile, the Boks have lost star halves Faf du Klerk and Handre Pollard, centre Lukhanyo Am, back-up playmaker Elton Jantjies and world-class backrower Pieter-Steph du Toit from their side due to injury, forcing coach Jacques Nienaber to make eight changes from the side that lost 21-17 in Adelaide.
One of the changes in the forward pack is the return of Malcolm Marx at starting hooker.
But it is the debut of Moodie that will captivate South African fans, who believe he can become an all-time great.
“We selected a team we thought would be best for this match given that we have several players out with injuries and with an eye on how we want to play,” said Nienaber in a statement.
“Handre, Lukhanyo, Elton and Pieter-Steph are all carrying injuries which adds to a list that includes Cheslin Kolbe and Sbu Nkosi, while Kurt-Lee Arendse is also out serving a suspension, and this has forced our hand to make a few changes in some positions.
“With both flyhalves injured, Damian was the natural choice at No.10 where he has slotted in for us a lot. He is also becoming a settled player in our team with over 20 Test caps to his name.
“This will also be a great test for Canan, who was a standout player for the Vodacom Bulls this season in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship. He’s a very talented player, who will enjoy this opportunity.”
The Wallabies will confirm their bench on Thursday afternoon.
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Originally published as Wallabies news: Michael Hooper out of Bledisloe Cup series against All Blacks
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