Rugby Australia are fighting for Hooper homecoming - it could be a defining moment
He might not have the profile or highlights reel of a Max Jorgensen or Zac Lomax, but whether Tom Hooper comes home to Super Rugby or stays abroad could define whether the competition once again becomes relevant or continues its slide from mainstream consciousness.
Rugby Australia is in negotiations with the 25-year-old Hooper about returning from Exeter Chiefs. But RA faces a fight to wrestle back the Bathurst-raised Wallaby after the versatile forward’s eye-catching maiden season for the Chiefs under respected coach and club great Rob Baxter.
Already, the Chiefs have gone on record saying they would love to extend the forward’s time beyond mid-2027. They also have Brumbies and Wallabies centre Len Ikitau on their books on a short-term one-year contract, with the reigning John Eales Medallist to return to Australia in time for the July Tests.
Hooper, meanwhile, is already open to extending his stay at the playoffs-chasing Exeter when his contract ends in mid-2027.
“The conversation I had with Tom was ‘I’d love you to stay more than the two years’,” Baxter said recently. “He said, ‘Let’s look into it,’ and that’s what we’re doing. That’s as far as it’s gone at the moment.
“He’s made an impression on me, more than just playing-wise, with the character he is around the place and the energy he brings, and he’s obviously a very good player. It simplifies things that Australia are happy to select players outside of Australia, that’s part of it as well.”
But are they?
Days after Baxter’s comments, RA clarified the governing body’s eligibility policy by stating it remained the case they would only pick a maximum of three overseas-based players for the Wallabies. Additionally, they must have played either 30 Tests or played for an Australian Super Rugby team for a minimum of five years.
Major stakeholders across the game believe RA will bend its policy next year, as it did in 2023 when Eddie Jones was in charge, when push comes to shove and the World Cup arrives on Australia’s doorstep. Will Wallabies-coach-in-waiting Les Kiss really want to have to decide between picking only three of Will Skelton, Taniela Tupou, Langi Gleeson, Japanese-bound trio Jordan Petaia, Hunter Paisami and Mark Nawaqanitawase, and potentially Hooper?
It’s why Hooper’s next deal could shape the direction of Australian rugby because not only was the forward a key part of Joe Schmidt’s side in 2025, he’s also viewed as one of the faces of the game by influential figures across the Australian rugby landscape – and that includes playing a key role in Super Rugby.
Indeed, one Super Rugby coach, who didn’t even have Hooper on his books last year, told The Australian he views Hooper as a future Wallabies captain.
But the question is whether RA can entice back the forward, who can play anywhere across the back-row and second-row. RA has begun talking numbers with Hooper, but it’s understood to be well short of what he could earn overseas.
It’s why RA needs to either get fair dinkum about either repatriating Hooper or simply accepting that some players are too expensive to bring home.
If RA believes someone like Hooper will break the bank, it will make things tough for Australian sides challenging in Super Rugby wanting workers doing the grunt work at the coalface. Without a platform to play off, no side can win a title in a competition featuring New Zealand franchises, no matter how many backs RA signs.
Just ask Kiss, whose Reds have been physically overpowered in recent years in the knockout stages.
Agents across the board are fascinated by Hooper’s call, too. While some have told The Australian RA shouldn’t pay anyone more than $750,000 because the game can’t financially sustain it under the current five-year broadcast deal, they also believe anyone commanding such figures should be allowed to head offshore to cash in and still be selected for the Wallabies.
That would, of course, mean RA would have to reassess its eligibility policy. It’s why RA’s vision must be crystal clear over the next five to 10 years about how to turn rugby around in Australia. As much as a Future Fund is a step in the right direction for rugby, hard currency on the field is trophies.
Wallabies relief
There were huge fears in Australia last weekend when a forlorn Angus Bell was forced off early in Ulster’s eight-point home loss to Leinster in the United Rugby Championship.
Fresh from losing giant lock Will Skelton for the season with an Achilles injury, the prospect of losing Bell, one of the world’s best running props, appeared a Bledisloe body blow. But it’s understood Bell will only be out for about a month, keeping him on song for the July Tests against Ireland, France and Italy.
Scotland the rave
It’s not just Australia’s coaches who are being snapped up in Scotland. With Australian-born stars Sione Tuipulotu and Jack Dempsey mainstays in the Scottish side, the latest player heading to the UK looks to be versatile Force back Bayley Kuenzle. It’s believed the 27-year-old, who was called into the Wallabies squad in mid-2024 before suffering a season-ending injury, has signed with Glasgow. His departure will be a blow given his ability to play anywhere from flyhalf to fullback. His decision to leave comes after rugby heavyweight David Nucifora coaxed local coaches Tim Sampson and Brad Davis to Edinburgh.
Reds keeping coach
The future of Zane Hilton at Ballymore has been the talk of the town for almost a year, but The Australian understands the forwards assistant will stay at the Reds under next year’s coach, Vern Cotter.
It comes after months of negotiations with the Reds and Wallabies, with Hilton looked at to replace former national scrum coach Mike Cron and combine his duties with his Super Rugby franchise.