Eddie Jones is on collision course for awkward reunion with Michael Hooper after sensationally claiming he axed the former Wallabies skipper because he wasn’t ‘a good role model’
Beleaguered Wallabies coach Eddie Jones and dumped former skipper Michael Hooper are on collision course for an awkward reunion ahead of Wales’ November 4 clash with Barbarians.
This week, Jones launched a bizarre defense defending his decision to exclude Michael Hooper, a veteran Wallabies player with 125 appearances, from the Rugby World Cup squad, citing concerns about his role model status.
Instead, Jones chose a youthful, less experienced squad for the tournament, with only seven players aged 30 or older.
Unfortunately, this strategy backfired as the Wallabies were knocked out in the early stages of the tournament, raising questions about whether the presence of veterans like Hooper, Quade Cooper or Bernard Foley could have provided valuable composure in difficult moments.
Jones infamously left veterans Michael Hooper, Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley out of his World Cup squad because they were ‘not good role models’
Hooper will reunite with Jones when the Barbarians meet against Wales later this week
Now Hooper is one of five Australian players named after the Barbarians, joining Taniela Tupou, Rob Leota, Angus Bell and Rob Valentini.
Jones will also be involved, joining the Barbarians camp to assist coach Scott Robertson, who has been named to take over as All Blacks coach from Ian Foster in 2024.
While the two will no doubt have private conversations in camp, Jones is not publicly backtracking on his decision to leave Hooper out of the World Cup squad.
‘The situation reminded me of when Wayne Bennett let Wally Lewis go’
‘Nobody could quite understand why, but Wally Lewis wasn’t a great role model for the rest of the team.
“And for those guys, I don’t think they were the right role models for the future team.
‘Do not get me wrong. They’re not bad guys.
“But you need guys – especially when you have a team like Australia at the moment – you need guys who are obsessed with winning, obsessed with being good, and those three are beyond those stages.”
The Wallabies had a disastrous World Cup and crashed out in the group stage for the first time
Former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons slammed Jones for his comments about Hooper and defended the former Australian skipper
Former Wallaby and Sydney Morning Herald columnist Peter FitzSimons challenged Jones on his claim that Hooper was not a good role model.
“I support it 100 percent,” Jones emphasized.
“He’s a great guy, but the timing isn’t right for him.”
FitzSimons defended Hooper in his column, saying they aren’t getting much better as role models.
“Hooper played 118 Tests and over the past decade was our answer to what Allan Border was to Australian cricket in the 1980s,” he wrote.
‘Hooper was the youngest Wallaby captain since Ken Catchpole, won the John Eales Medal four times and had a career without any controversy.
“He’s a great Australian rugby player, and as a role model in how to play and conduct yourself, they couldn’t get any better. He deserved a much better ending to his rugby career.