Rugby News: Hoops set for comeback, RTS to NRL 'whisper', Tupou close to contract decision, Raynal breaks silence

Wallabies captain Michael Hooper is expected to return to training with Wallabies teammates next week with an eye to returning on the five-Test Spring Tour tour of Europe.

Hooper has been training on his own since walking out on the Wallabies the day before the opening Test against Argentina in The Rugby Championship, citing mindset issues.

It has been reported that Hooper is ready to return to the fold and the Herald says he will train with fellow NSW-based Wallabies.

The Roar experts Brett McKay, Harry Jones and Geoff Parkes name their Team of The Rugby Championship

There are question marks over if Hooper will resume as skipper. James Slipper has taken over the role in his absence, and there has been no public indication of Hooper’s thinking on the issue.

There are also those, such as former Wallaby Tim Horan, who believe Hooper should come back into the team via the bench after Pete Samu was arguably Australia’s best player in the double defeats by the All Blacks while playing at No.7.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

And Will Genia wrote in The Roar: “There are going to be questions around whether Hoops does come straight back in because of how good Pete has been, but more so because of how good the balance of the back row is with him at No.7.

“Size matters more than ever at Test level. You need those big bodies to be able to win the collisions and then give you the opportunity to play off the front foot.

“If I’m picking a team that’s going straight into the Spring Tour now I’m thinking Pete Samu at No.7.”

The squad for the tour – which starts against Scotland on October 30, and then features games against France, Italy, Ireland and Wales, will be named in mid-October.

Tupou close to new deal

Rugby Australia and the Reds are keen to lock down Taniela Tupou to a new deal but there are reports that he’s considering his options on where to play his Super Rugby.

The Wallabies prop, who endured a frustrating season after lingering calf injury issues, is in talks with RA about his next deal, having called on them to “show me the money” earlier this year.

“We’re talking directly with Taniela and his representatives about what a longer term future looks like,” Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos told reporters this week. A four-year extension is thought to be likely.

“He certainly expressed a very strong interest and desire to commit himself to Australian rugby going forward. So those conversations are ongoing.”

Queensland Rugby CEO David Hanham added: “I know Andy’s been working with Taniela over the last few months around his future and getting that sorted.

“He’s critical for us. He’s developed as a ball player, he’s now developed as a scrummager.

“We feel like a lot of his growth, both on and off the field, has been sort of nurtured by the coaching group over that time and he’s become a world class player.

“I know he’s been troubled with a bit of injury at the moment, but what can the next five to six years look like for Taniela? If we can get him to that point now, what’s the next phase look like?

“Having a strong tight-head prop of his standard is going to be critical to the team’s success in the long-term future.”

However, Fox Sports reported that Tupou might be having doubts about continuing at Queensland and could base his decision on the future of coach Brad Thorn.

RTS to Roosters ‘whisper’

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has been linked with a return to the Sydney Roosters with his path the World Cup looking problematic.

RTS has failed to establish himself as an All Black and the performance of Jordie Barrett in the No. 12 jersey in Bledisloe II made it clear he is a fourth choice at best in the jersey.

“Little whisper is that there is a contract on the table for Roger Tuivasa-Sheck back at the Roosters,” All Blacks legend Sir John Kirwan told Sky Sport’s The Breakdown this week.

“We’re just running out of time, so I want to see Roger get a decent crack. (On) the northern tour. , he probably shouldn’t (just) play against Japan, we need to see him against Scotland or Wales where it’s a big Test match.

“What I’ve noticed is that our kicking game, our short kicking game, our manipulative attacking game, has now gone to the foot of 12, so he’s going to have to show us that on the northern tour as well, that kicking game. We know he can step.

“It’s a timing issue, I mean I hope he doesn’t go back to the Roosters, I hope he stays for a few more years yet.”

Jeff Wilson said he would understand if NRL clubs were circling.

“That’d be disappointing if that’s the case,” Wilson said.

“I can understand there’d be frustration around this. We certainly haven’t seen the best of him on a rugby field yet because he hasn’t had the opportunity.

“But like you say, time is running out and where do those opportunities lie?”

‘The player forced me’

French referee Mathieu Raynal says he stands by his contentious decision to strip Bernard Foley of the penalty in Melbourne that presented the All Blacks with their late win.

“I take total responsibility for what I did, 100%,” Raynal told reporters after being named French rugby’s referee of the season.

“I had a necessary reason for making the decision even if it was a strong one which caused people to talk.

“I try to do what is the most fair. That’s at the heart of my job.

“Sometimes it creates tensions, frustrations, arguments but I take responsibility over what I do.

“I told a player five times to kick the ball to touch. I couldn’t do otherwise. It’s not me who decided to make the decision, it was the player who forced me to make it.”

Referee Mathieu Raynal speaks to Nic White and Bernard Foley of the Wallabies (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Raynal said he was forced to stay off social media because of the criticism he copped from Australian fans.

“I deleted newspaper and social media applications,” Raynal said, adding he stuck to paying Candy Crush on his phone.

“I didn’t follow what happened. To keep my head, it was the best thing to do to keep focused on the second match. My job finishes once I leave the field.”

Raynal said he had a “sincere and honest” conversation with Wallabies coach Dave Rennie.

“He was satisfied by the refereeing during the entirety of the match. Obviously we didn’t agree on the final decision. I can guarantee we had a calm conversation,” he said.

Vincent out of Wallabies Test

France centre Arthur Vincent will be sidelined for several months including a Test against the Wallabies in November after aggravating a left knee injury on his return to Top 14 action with French champions Montpellier.

The 22-year-old reinjured his knee in a Top 14 game against Brive on September 17, with his club saying tests had revealed “a more severe diagnosis with a partial lesion of the anterior cruciate ligament.”

The 14-times capped France player “will be away from the field for several months”, Montpellier said in a statement.

Vincent has been plagued by knee injuries, rupturing a cruciate ligament in his left knee last season, before returning to help the southerners claim the Top 14 crown for the first time.

The double under-20 world champion is now in a race against time to be fit for next year’s World Cup at home.

Vincent will miss the three November Tests against South Africa, Australia and Japan as well as the next year’s Six Nations tournament.