Australian rugby fans won’t get a final chance to farewell Wallabies great Michael Hooper on the field after it was revealed the former captain won’t feature for the Australian and New Zealand XV against the British and Irish Lions in Adelaide.
Hooper finished his eight-game stint with Japanese side Toyota Verblitz last month and sources with knowledge of the situation, talking on the condition of anonymity, told this masthead that the breakaway will not run out at Adelaide Oval in six weeks.
Hooper came out of retirement to play in Japan in February, after Eddie Jones didn’t select the breakaway for the 2023 World Cup and injury ultimately ruled him out of an Olympic swansong with the Australian sevens team.
Hooper will be part of an expert commentary panel for Stan Sport during the British and Irish Lions series.
New Zealand’s star five-eighth Richie Mo’unga’s chances of playing in the Lions series for the AUNZ Invitational XV remain in the balance after it was revealed the playmaker had been playing for the past two weeks with a broken hand.
Mo’unga played through the pain for 80 minutes to help Toshiba Brave Lupus defeat former Wallaby Bernard Foley’s Kubota Spears 18-13 in the Japan Rugby League One final.
Rugby Australia have been working closely with a number of Japan-based New Zealand stars, including Mo’unga, Shannon Frizell and TJ Perenara, to review the possibility of including them in AUNZ invitational team that will play the Lions in Adelaide on July 12.
Mo’unga had broken his hand a week earlier in the Brave Lupus’ semi-final win against Kobe Steel. His coach, fellow New Zealander Todd Blackadder, told media after the game that his playmaker was “70-30” to miss the final.
Michael Hooper during his time with the Australia sevens teamCredit: Dion Georgopoulos
It was revealed after the game that Mo’unga had spent three days in an oxygen chamber in the build-up to the showpiece game.
Mo’unga went on to win player of the game and scored 13 points in an assured all-around performance, including the first try of the match.
“I knew it wasn’t impossible to play this weekend, and obviously a final, it’s a no-brainer really,” Mo’unga told media after the game.
“You want to give yourself the best chance to be part of something special.”
Fellow New Zealand playmaker Beauden Barrett also suffered from a broken hand while playing for the Blues against the Brumbies in March, but returned a month later, giving Mo’unga hope of recovering to play at Adelaide Oval in six weeks. Mo’unga is keen to play in Adelaide and will be reviewed after
Mo’unga, Frizell and TJ Perenara are all keen to represent the first combined Australian and New Zealand team since the 1989 Lions tour to Australia.
That team mostly, filled with Australians, lost 15-19 to the Lions. Only three New Zealanders, prop Steve McDowall, centre Frano Botica and fullback Kieran Crowley made the team.
RA are working with insurers and the New Zealanders’ Japanese clubs to greenlight their selection in the squad, which will be led by future Wallabies’ coach Les Kiss.
In March, RA’s director of high-performance Peter Horne confirmed to this masthead that the games outside of the series needed to be competitive and Wallabies could feature in both the AUNZ and First Nations/Pasifika games. Most players in both squads are set to be local players.
“And then we have an approach where we want to make sure that our provincial games are competitive, and we’re putting out good quality teams,” Horne said.
“The same goes for those AUNZ and also the First Nations/Pasifika games. So, if there are players that are in the Wallabies squad, and we think that it’s in their best interest to have game time, then they’ll be made available.
Former Wallabies Quade Cooper and Will Genia played their final games in Japan League One. Their futures in rugby are unclear.
Last month, Genia was asked by former England and Lions halfback Ben Youngs on the For the Love of Rugby podcast whether he would be keen to play for either the AUNZ or First Nations and Pasifika selections in the Lions series.
“I’d love to put my hand up for both teams, the ANZAC XV and the Pacific Island team,” Genia said.
