Former Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper said on Wednesday he was coming out of retirement to play for Toyota Verblitz in Japan after receiving a call from former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.
The 33-year-old played the last of his 125 Tests in 2023 before being unceremoniously axed by then-coach Eddie Jones ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
He turned his attention to rugby sevens, but after missing out on qualifying for the Paris Olympics, he took a break from playing in June and later worked as a commentator.
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Hooper, who has captained the Wallabies a record 69 times, told Australia’s Channel 7 that he has signed with Verblitz for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
He played for this club in 2021.
“It’s a really good club, really good people and competitive,” Hooper said. He added that he received a call from Verblitz coach Hansen after Springboks legend Pieter-Steph du Toit was sidelined through injury.
“There weren’t too many places I really wanted to play. I had such fond memories of going there a few years ago, so it was right there,” Hooper said.
“To be honest, I was really lucky. I’d like to thank Steve Hansen for giving me the opportunity.” Hooper told the broadcaster he was healthy and uninjured, but needed to put on some muscle.
Regarding the reason for his return, he said, “I still have some desire to see if I can mix again.”
“There is a Hail Mary coming that we did not expect. “There were some discussions a while ago, but progress was made in almost a week.”
