Wallabies legend reveals why he turned down Lions invite

Former Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper admits time has caught up with him after turning down the opportunity of a final playing farewell against the British and Irish Lions.

Hooper was invited to play for the combined Australian and New Zealand XV against the Lions in Adelaide, but told Stan Sport’s Inside Line podcast he felt his body was no longer up to the rigours of facing the world’s best players.

This masthead reported earlier this week that Hooper would not feature in the game, after the former Wallabies captain finished his eight-game stint with Japanese side Toyota Verblitz last month.

“I’ve played the Lions before, I know that they’re a week out from a three-game Test series, and it’s getting pointy end of that tour, and you’ve got probably a fully-fit starting team who’s going to play against the Wallabies a week later, champing at the bit, battle-hardened,” Hooper said.

“And I looked at myself and I thought, ’Well, I’ve had a good time in Japan, they pour a good Asahi [beer], they make a nice rice ball at the local conveni [convenience store].

“I’m about eight weeks to 10 weeks out of being battle-hardened, not in a Test environment. So I’d have to come home now, train by myself, maybe try and get a run for Manly – which would have been cool as well – but come up against those [Lions] guys in a team that you pulled together for a week.

Michael Hooper during his time with the Australia sevens teamCredit: Dion Georgopoulos

“As a young guy? Perhaps two years, four years, five years, six years ago – oh my God, how good.

“As an almost 34-year-old who made a fleeting comeback? No, it didn’t sound like a game that would be a fairytale ending for me. Not that I was ever after a fairytale ending.”

Hooper denied that uncertainty over the make-up of the squad influenced his decision to turn down the opportunity to play in Adelaide.

“Simply no, because the common sense of knowing what it takes to perform at that level,” Hooper said. “It’s a personal decision. I don’t think I could have performed how I want to perform at that level, at that time, with the layover, with everything considered at this point in my career. It just didn’t seem like a good decision.”

Hooper came out of retirement to play in Japan in February, after Eddie Jones left him out of the squad for the 2023 World Cup and injury ultimately ruled him out of an Olympic swansong with the Australian sevens team.

Hooper will be part of an expert commentary panel for Stan Sport during the British and Irish Lions series.

Meanwhile, Richie Mo’unga’s chances of playing for the AUNZ XV against the Lions are in the balance after it was revealed the New Zealand five-eighth had been playing for the past two weeks with a broken hand.

Mo’unga played through the pain for 80 minutes to help Toshiba Brave Lupus defeat the Kubota Spears team of former Wallaby Bernard Foley 18-13 in the Japan Rugby League One final.

It was revealed after the game that Mo’unga had spent three days in an oxygen chamber in the build-up to the showpiece game.

Mo’unga went on to win player of the game and scored 13 points in an assured all-around performance, including the first try of the match.

“I knew it wasn’t impossible to play this weekend, and obviously a final, it’s a no-brainer really,” Mo’unga told media after the game. “You want to give yourself the best chance to be part of something special.”

Rugby Australia have been working closely with a number of Japan-based New Zealand stars, including Mo’unga, Shannon Frizell and TJ Perenara, to review the possibility of including them in AUNZ team.

Fellow New Zealand playmaker Beauden Barrett also suffered from a broken hand while playing for the Blues against the Brumbies in March, but returned a month later, giving Mo’unga hope of recovering to play at Adelaide Oval in six weeks. Mo’unga is keen to play in Adelaide and will be reviewed after surgery.

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