The events we have watched unfold since that fateful plane trip to Argentina three weeks ago will be remembered as a shameful chapter in Australian rugby history.
It doesn’t matter what you think of Ewen McKenzie, Kurtley Beale or Di Patston – one of the things that makes rugby truly great is that everyone involved is expected to hold themselves to a higher standard.
Richie McCaw reminded us of that on Saturday. On his own initiative, McCaw took the stage to congratulate Adam Ashley-Cooper on behalf of his side, saying that the achievement was big enough to put the rivalry aside for one moment.
With all of the controversy I’m afraid we might miss the point altogether. The third Bledisloe Test was, by a large margin, the finest Wallaby performance of the past three years. After all, at some point shouldn’t the rugby actually be about picking up the oval ball and playing a game?
Saturday reminded us what the current Wallaby crop is capable of. Not only did they lead the All Blacks, they dominated them through most of the Test and for just a brief moment the infamous New Zealand aura lifted and the opponent looked human. That is no small feat.
Saturday also reminded us that Michael Hooper is not a captain. Not yet.
Let me set the record straight. I am a Hooper fan. He is a natural leader of men and a rare rugby talent. He is the only sane choice in the #7 jersey for Australia – the injured David Pocock notwithstanding – and if you’re with the crowd who has been arguing to the contrary, let me grab you a fresh straight-jacket and lead you back to your padded room because there is no other place to put you.
By chance I met Hooper last year after the third Lions test, where he was unceremoniously dropped for George Smith, despite red-hot form. I offered to buy him a beer and made of point of saying that despite my respect for Smith, the decision to drop him was “incorrect”.
His response? “That’s rugby”.
He is a true gentleman and better men make better rugby players. Stepping up to call the team into a truth session and petition them to address their issues in the open last week shows both leadership beyond his years and the quality of his character. I reiterate, he is a natural leader of men.
Let’s not forget too that he has achieved all of this, along with captaining one of the world’s best sides, a Super Rugby Premiership, a John Eales Medal and 38 Test caps at the ripe old age of 22. I reiterate, he is a rare rugby talent.
However, a leader and a captain are not the same thing. A captain must first be a leader and at the top level then build on that ability by bringing level-headedness, interpersonal skills and an extraordinary intellect for the game to the table that Hooper simply does not posses. Not yet.
This was painfully evident on Saturday when early in the second half referee Craig Joubert asked Hooper rhetorically “Do you want to lead by example?” not once, but twice. And having put himself in that situation, Hooper had not one word to say in defence of himself or his team and simply walked away.
Compare that to the way McCaw fronted Joubert under similar scrutiny in the first half. He showed respect, stood and listened to the referee and then walked back and spoke to his team.
It is not really a fair comparison given McCaw is nearly 100 Tests Hooper’s senior, however in a game decided after regulation time by the smallest margin possible under the rules of the game a good captain can be the deciding factor.
This time around it was. Hooper is not a captain, not yet.
With no clear candidate in the squad, there is no easy solution. Hooper seemed to do better as captain under new Wallaby coach Michael Cheika when at the ‘Tahs, so perhaps that will help. Time will tell.
Perhaps an interim leader is required, certainly some mentoring for Hooper is warranted and would be of great value – but either way Cheika needs to make this priority number one.
Why? Because Michael Hooper is tasked with being a Wallaby captain and he is not. Not yet.
But he will be, and a great one at that. Just give him some time.
Johns
Guest
How do you rest your case? What fact have you actually used? Apart from your own subjective opinion of two players you have said nothing. I don't like player A because of reasons. When you actually bother to look up stats you realize Hooper is the 7 you do have. In almost ever 7 stat Hooper was on par with Richie. Look at the offensive stats and Richie doesn't lay a hand on Hooper. Who has the better all round game? Not to mention Look at the back row Richie get to work with.
Kerry
Guest
What planet are you on. Hooper a great leader of men and a true gentleman. Did you se the dangerous tackle he put on the Argentenian in that game.It was disgraceful and even worse was the SMIRK on his face and the body language that accompanied it. This man or Boy needs to grow up and mature. Then previous to that when the Referee asked him to pull his team into line he replied "I have told them four times already and its TOO HARD" This muppet obviously does not have the respect of his players and should not have been made captain. He does not have the Character or the mental fortitude to have this position.All Hooper does well is run all over the field to no effect, Tackles only occassionally and only looks good when the opportunity arises by the efforts of others, not through opportunity created by himself. In my opinion Hodgson should be made captain and play in the 7 position. Whenever he is on he LEADS the team, wins ball in the breakdown, breaks the line and tackles. All of the things Hooper does not do. i REST MY CASE.
Alex Wood
Roar Guru
Well said. Thanks for the comments.
Alex Wood
Roar Guru
Agree Don. There was a period of time there where Pocock was looking like he would be an absolute superstar and he certainly has the leadership. Generally I am not a fan of playing forwards out of position, particularly open side flaker (this is George Smith/Phil Waugh all over again); however, I wouldn't mind seeing them experiment a bit on the basis of Pocock in 7 and Hooper at 6. Pocock is a specialist, he needs to be in position and from what I can see Hooper could play his style from any position.
Alex Wood
Roar Guru
Agree that it is not a comparison, I actually said that in the article. My point here was that Hooper didn't even front the referee - that's a basic thing that doesn't require game IQ. Moore is the right option when he's back.
Johns
Guest
To All Hooper haters Has anyone seen the movie Money Ball with Brad Pitt? How statistics were used to build a top team? Not pick people who have the have the look ect. (and don't get me started on Hooper's long hair. If it was really a distraction why do half the SA boys have it? No one rips Jackpot for it?). If every player in the team have the statistics to beat the opposing teams you win most times. Simple. Last weekend was a perfect example of the few times you lose. We lost in the 80th minute to the number 1 in the world when statistically we were better. Sometimes you lose but you are always in the fight and very close. People seem happy to throw out there opinion with out any statistics or knowledge apart from what their under 7's coach told them or what they read on "Search: Rugby Position Guide." " I have made 100 comments so now I am Guru"... please. On Foxsports fantasy rugby, Hooper was the most valuable 7 in the Rugby Championship in front of the rest. Statistically dominant. One of the top turnovers, Tackles, Run metres, line breaks etc. Name it he is there. Please go search it for yourself. However the very same organization named Richie no 1?? Maybe the captaining of the winning team got him there? However in Europe and NZ he is constantly marveled at and given massive wraps by journos. One day Rugby in Australia will enter a proper professional environment like Europe and the US have for their sports. Where emotional opinions are put to one side and a player will be valued upon what he delivers. People say" on the ball 7", however don't use stats to back it up and use there personal opinion of what he should be doing and use childish remarks to make him sound like the problem. In one of Pococks best seasons, 2011, he averaged between 1-2 turnovers a game. Same as Michael Hooper in 2013. What else did Pocock offer, Yes two tries!! O wait, against Russia in the WC... Please do statistical research on the players we have in test rugby,, put your personal feelings away and tell me Hooper is not the best option. If some one reply's with "no ruck presence" you show how little you know, and I will explain ruck presence further down. Why is Hooper so wide? Do people understand how open play defensive structures work beyond forwards stay tight and backs wide? During rucks while the ball isn't in play, you force your slower players in and your faster players out to manage the attacking threats. Hooper is one of the fastest on the team in both forwards and backs. Why have him defend tight on a prop we he can cover backs? Watch his highlights and the amount of times he has chased down backs. Search his Aus 20's and recent highlights. All try saving tackles. That's saving 5-7 points every time and don't say he doesn't get turnovers, he does, refer to stats not emotional hatred of player. His coach would coach this. If he wasn't asking for this he would not do it. Individuals always have goals set by the coach and clearly Hooper is ticking all the boxes both in offense and defense. By all means support you favourite player but not at the expense of your Captain when he is doing his job for his country. They are all great players and all deserve support.
RodMac
Roar Rookie
Agree Clark. That doesn't mean I hope that's what happens (and I'm sure you don't either), but based on the Ewen McKenzie experience, what else have we got to go on? They both took on the role of Wallabies coach having turned mediocre (at best) super teams into premiers in the space of 2 seasons. Very similar trajectories to success for both teams. I thought the same thing of Ewen when he was appointed as I think of Chieka now, that he is a fantastic coach, but still has an uphill battle with the Wallabies. Far more forces at play and a much more restricted timeframe within which to get the players to buy into your way. Perhaps MC will make a better fist of it; and leaving aside how disappointed I am to see the demise of Ewen, I sure hope he does.
Antennae
Guest
Put a sock in it Clark. The automatic condemnation of the Wallabies is very tiresome. Give Cheika a chance first.
Antennae
Guest
More Qld inbreds. Luck NSW owns OZ rugby now.
You may be correct, I am too lazy to check the statistics, Habana might give Hooper a run for his money at the breakdowns :D
Harry Jones
Expert
BB, but maybe I am wrong, bc Habana pilfers and jackals more and is harder to clean out. He is like a barnacle on the ball.
Habana doesn't play that wide :D
Harry Jones
Expert
Habana
Rouaan
Guest
I agree with the article and Bled III apart, it was very evident throughout the RC that Hooper is still too immature for this important role. The WBs should have won both Bled I and Bled III with good game management at the end. My reason being that they had the ball for periods long enough to close it out. I actually blame McKenzie as he should understand the maturity of his team, why was he standing next to the field anyway, if it is not to 'connect' better with the team during the match? In my view it should have been easier to convey messages to AAC and Hooper during those tense moments and especially the last 5-10 minutes. On the Messam-Phipps issue, I blame Joubert and his assistant for not penalizing Messam for clearly being off-side and obstructing WB ball. That was also within Foley's kicking range. Joubert's actions led to Messam being arrogant, while he was the one in the worng. Funny that Joubert chose to rather reprimand Hooper? I can't figure that one out. He is a biased ref and there are now too many examples of it.
My question is who is his opposite number, he doesn't play conventionally?
Zero Gain
Guest
Totally irrelevant. It's his performance compared to his opponent that counts. And he has lost out every time against his Bok and AB opponents, hasn't he.
Zero Gain
Guest
Why are we not winning then against the ABs if he is so good. Why isn't he outplaying his opposite number against the Boks or ABs, ever?
Matt
Guest
Hooper was let go from the Brumbies by Jake White for being too small. He is easily knocked off the ball, offers very little in terms of punching through the line but swans around in the back line far too much for my liking. He didn't pilfer a single ball on Saturday night, as an open side flanker that is almost unforgivable! He was caught out supporting Beale instead of the coach and it was the latest in a long line of poor decisions. At 22, this is not surprising, and when Pocock is fully fit, Hooper will be lucky to make the bench. The forwards need size and skill to match the ABs and Boks, and although Hooper is quick, his ability to stand over the ball and effect steals against McCaw, Read and co will see us lose the breakdown contest more often than not. Without Higgers and Fardy on the weekend we would have been outplayed all over the park. -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Zero Gain
Guest
Cost us the win last weekend by standing around out in the backs all match achieving almost nothing while Richie ran riot in tight.
Zero Gain
Guest
Why? It's the best song around.