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Report: Michael Hooper left out of Wallabies' World Cup squad
By AAP
Longtime captain Michael Hooper has reportedly been left out of coach Eddie Jones's 33-man Wallabies squad for the Rugby World Cup.
The 125-Test veteran had been eyeing a third World Cup tournament.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that 31-year-old Hooper was told on Wednesday he would not be in the Australian squad to be announced on Thursday evening due to concerns over his calf injury.
Chosen as a co-captain by Jones, the flanker was underwhelming against South Africa in his only Test appearance under the new coach, no thanks to the injury that kept him out of the next three Tests.
In that time another Hooper - 22-year-old Tom - surged into the reckoning and long-time understudy Fraser McReight complemented him nicely in a new-look No.6 and No.7 combination.
Pete Samu is another backrower who provides sought-after flexibility during a major tournament while Jed Holloway and Rob Leota do the same in the second row and at No.6.
Hooper's apparent omission adds another element to the question of who will captain the Wallabies in their quest for a third World Cup title - and first in 24 years.
With Hooper injured and fellow co-captain James Slipper named on the bench, exciting halfback Tate McDermott, 24, was handed the captaincy for the first time when the Wallabies fired early before succumbing 23-20 to the All Blacks in Dunedin last weekend.
"(The World Cup captaincy) is a good question. Very good question," Jones said after that match.
"We've got to pick the squad first. And then we'll decide on captaincy but Tate is one of the candidates, a strong candidate."
Samu Kerevi (hand) and Taniela Tupou (rib) are also under injury clouds, so too centre Len Ikitau (shoulder).
But all three are expected to front up in Darwin before the side's official Sydney farewell.
The Wallabies, who have sunk to No.8 in the world, will play the host nation in a final World Cup tune-up on August 28 (AEST) before their opener against Georgia on September 10.
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Yeah nar I pretty much agree with that sentiment, wasn't just about the lineout though.
Yeah, I think it's the future of SR, even TRC. Graham above just now posting about how good a night it was with a dbl header of ENGvSA and NZvFrance, and now I don't want to kick SA or Argentina out of TRC but it would be great if in this next of the woods 2 more top teams could come in to create more of these sort of nights (for rugby's appeal). Often Arg and SA and both travel here and you get those games but more often doesn't work out right.
Obviously a long way off but USA and Japan are the obvious two. First thing we need to do is get Eddie Jones kicked out of Japan so they can start improving again and then get a couple of US teams in SRP (even if one its just a US based and augmented Jaguares).
It will start off the whole conferences are crap debate again (which I will continue to argue vehemently against), but imagine a 6 team Pacific conference, Tokyo Sunwolves (drafted from Tokyo JRLO teams), Tokyo All Stars (made up of best remaining foreign players and overseas drafts), ALL Nihon (best of local non Tokyo based talent, inc China/Korea etc, with mainland Japan), a could of West Coast american franchises and perhaps a second self PI driven Hawai'i based team, or Jagaures. So I see a short NFL like 3 or 4 month comp as fitting best, maybe not even a full round, NZvAUSvPAC, all games taking place within a 6hr window. Model for NZ will definitely still require a competitive and funded NPC!
On the Crusaders, I liked last years ending with Grace on the bench (ovbiously form dependent but thats how it ended) and Lio-Willie at 8. I could have Blackadder trying to be a 7 but think balance will be used with him at 6 and Kellow as 7. Scott Barrett is an international 6 sized player. It is just NZ style/model that pushes him into the tight, I reckon he'd be a great loose player, and saders have Strange and Cahill as bigger players (plus that change could draw someone like Darry back). Same with Haig now, hes not grown yet but Barrett hight and been playing 6, now that the Highlanders have only chosen two locks he'll be playing lock, and that is going to change his growth trajectory massively, rather than seeing him grow like an International 6.
Go to commentsDan Carter is the leading points scorer and leading points per game person for a player with significant tests. 2s RWC winner and member of the games greatest ever team. It's not even close. The only question of GOAT for rugby is whether McCaw deserves it given Carter's numbers.
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