Michael Hooper is set to make his sevens debut for Australia at the Hong Kong tournament, as the Wallabies Test veteran bids for a place at the Paris Olympics.
Hooper, who played 125 Tests for Australia, has switched to sevens after the loose forward was axed from the Wallabies squad before last year’s 15-a-side Rugby World Cup.
Hooper has been included in the 13-man squad for the Hong Kong Sevens, from 5 to 7 April, Rugby Australia said.
“For the first time we’ll get to see Michael Hooper in an Australian sevens jersey,” head coach John Manenti said in a statement on Thursday.
Hooper joined the men’s sevens squad in November, but his start was delayed by an Achilles injury.
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“‘Hoops’ has worked hard to make his way into the squad, and we’re all delighted to welcome the ‘rookie’ into the mix,” Manetti added of the Test veteran.
Hooper, 32, hopes to win a berth for the men’s Olympic sevens tournament this July.
“Like any new player it will be a learning experience for him, and an important start point to a potential Paris Olympics,” Manetti said.
Australia have been drawn in the same pool in Hong Kong as Olympic champions Fiji and France, who won the Los Angeles tournament in early March.
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Photo: EPA/Dave Hunt
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