Wallabies prop Schoupp looking for A-grade performance after school teacher received a lukewarm response from his students over big time callup

Blake Schoupp, teacher and former World Cup sponsor, is fortunate that Wallabies coach Eddie Jones saw something in him that his students did not, while Australia’s youngsters were unimpressed by his efforts on the field.

Schoupp is ready for his third Test when Australia take on Fiji in a high-stakes pool match in Saint-Etienne, as his whirlwind transition from the classroom to rugby’s biggest stages continues.

Last year, the 24-year-old health and physical education graduate took his first teaching job at a Sydney high school, Edgeware, which specializes in troubled children; Many were expelled from other schools and some returned from youth detention centers.

It’ll be a big game for Schoupp and the rest of the Wallabies, with a guaranteed place in the quarter-finals on the line

Schoupp said he shared a video with his students when he was set to leave to take up a training contract with the Brumbies, but they were far from enthusiastic.

“I put one of my games on the big screen because all the kids asked me about it and they all criticized me because they saw me walking around the field,” he said.

Fortunately for Schoupp, whose younger brother Aaron plays for NRL club Gold Coast, Jones liked what he saw in the front rower who he described as “built like a brick shit house.”

After less than six games for the Brumbies, he was on a plane to France and was part of Australia’s opening win over Georgia in Paris.

He said playing in the World Cup was something he dreamed of as a child when he suited up for the Woonona Shamrocks in Wollongong, with his father Brendon as coach.

Schoupp’s family has arrived in France, minus Aaron, who is awaiting the birth of his first child.

The school teacher showed footage of him playing for the Brumbies in Super Rugby but they were not impressed

Aaron Schoupp is Blake’s brother and plays for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRL competition

Blake and Aaron are close despite playing for rival codes, with Blake earning a place in the Wallabies squad being rebuilt by coach Eddie Jones

Schoupp said his World Cup campaign was aimed at making his parents, including mother Michelle, proud.

“It’s special, you know, this is why I do what I do, because I want to give them moments like this where they can see me… It’s moments like this that I’m really proud of as a person.”

He said he never turned his back on teaching in the future because the children kept him grounded while making him appreciate his own education.

‘Many students had not had much education in the periods before they came to our school… it was about just being there and providing an environment where they could come and learn and get away from what was going on used to be. outside their lives.

“I wouldn’t say more fully, but I do appreciate the job I had because it gave me the opportunity to appreciate what I had at that moment.”

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