With three Australian teams guaranteed finals spots, Hooper is happy to see success at other franchises.
“It’s great to see those teams win. I’ve definitely been in the camps where you death-ride teams a bit, particularly the Aussie counterparts, and you’re not wanting to see them go well,” Hooper said. “I think that’s definitely changed for me.”
Angus Bell and Jake Gordon hand out gifts to the students of St Johns Primary, Auburn.Credit:Getty
While Hooper’s main focus is playing well for the Waratahs, who face the Hurricanes on Saturday at Leichhardt Oval, early plans are being hatched to defeat England in July.
The Wallabies have lost their last eight Tests against Eddie Jones’ England side since 2016.
“It’s a great series,” Hooper said. “It doesn’t feel like that long ago that we were playing in 2016 when they came out here last [and beat Australia 3-0]. A lot has happened since then. It’s a great series to have, 18 months out from a World Cup.
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“The staff are putting in a heap of time. They’ve known this is on the cards, so they have put in hours and hours. We’ve got a really good plan.
“They’re getting a really good look at us individuals as players playing across Super Rugby. They’re trying to put together pieces of the puzzle of how combinations will look come this England series and how our players and form shaping up now can affect them. They’re just raring to go.
“Speaking to [coach] Dave [Rennie], they go six months without coaching anyone, so when we come in after a season they are dead keen. It’s going to be good.”
Watch every match of the Super Rugby Pacific on the Home of Rugby, Stan Sport. Continues this weekend with Brumbies v Crusaders (Friday 7:15pm AEST), Blues v Reds (Saturday 4:30pm AEST) and Waratahs v Hurricanes (Saturday 7:15pm AEST). All streaming ad-free, live and on demand only on Stan Sport.









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