Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Michael Hooper offers candid reflection of past three months and his mental health journey

Michael Hooper at Wallabies media day. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images for Rugby Australia

Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper has opened up about the mental demons that led to the champion flanker taking almost three months’ personal leave.

ADVERTISEMENT

He’s Australia’s longest-serving Wallabies captain and only four-time player of the year but Michael Hooper is offering no promises ahead of his impending return from a near-three-month mental health break.

Speaking for the first time since dramatically exiting the Wallabies camp on the eve of Australia’s opening Rugby Championship fixture against the Pumas in early August, Hooper revealed he’d sought “all types” of help from family, friends, sports therapists and professional counsellors.

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

In a candid interview, the ironman flanker said that wasn’t easy.

“As a younger man, I viewed asking for help as, I guess, a bit of a weakness. You want to feel like you have it all worked out and I certainly didn’t,” Hooper said ahead of the Wallabies’ spring-tour opening Test against Scotland on Saturday.

The 30-year-old singled out his wife Kate for her unwavering support, admitting he’d struggled to balance the demands of being a new father with life as a travelling rugby star.

“I’ve been playing the game for a long time, had some great changes in my life happen this year and there were a lot of things running through my head showing up in Argentina, and Argentina wasn’t the place where I needed to sort these things out,” he said.

“I wanted to be around family. I wanted to be in a place where I could put the time in to those things that I needed to put in.

ADVERTISEMENT

“That doesn’t mean that I’m sitting here now completely cured. It’s not like that at all. At that point in time, I needed to be somewhere else. That wasn’t Argentina.

“I know that’s quite vague but, yeah, I’m still getting my head around it. It’s not that long ago.”

Related

Telling Wallabies coach Dave Rennie he wanted out was among the most difficult conversations Hooper has endured in his decorated 121-Test career.

“I have high expectations of myself and pulling out of a game is certainly right up there with something I couldn’t see myself doing. Of course it was hard,” he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

“It came around suddenly … the beautiful thing about rugby and the hard thing about all sport is there’s always the next goal so that you can move on and you can move on quick.

“It was probably exacerbated being overseas away from home but certainly where I’m at, in my career and things like that, you start to look at post-rugby. I’ve got a family now.

“So there’s a lot (more) elements now than being a 22-year-old and pretty much being concerned about yourself and I think that played into it.”

Hooper feels grateful to be living in an era where mental health is more openly spoken about.

“I’ll look back on this period and going through it, it’s a part of life. It’s part of being human, all this stuff, a great time in my life,” he said.

The 64-Test Wallabies captain said he was 100 per cent behind new skipper James Slipper and that regaining the leadership was the least of his concerns ahead of his planned comeback in Europe.

While acknowledging playing in a third World Cup next year was a massive lure, even that is not a given as Hooper focuses solely on simply enjoying playing the game again.

“I’m excited. I’m excited to be back – at this stage. I’m also realistic knowing that last time I was in here it didn’t quite work out,” said the champion No.7.

“So I’m back putting myself in this position because I want to be here. I’ve got some great support around me and I’m realistic that there’s going to be some really good days, and days that the realities of travel and rugby and stuff are difficult.

“But I think that’s part of the whole journey. Part of doing what we do is that whole rollercoaster.”

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
SK 53 minutes ago
Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones

The way they are defending is sometime pathetic to be honest. Itoje is usually on the inside of the rush and he is paired with a slower tight forward. Unable to keep up with the rush we have seen the line become disconnected on the inside where the big boys are. How many times have we seen Earl rush past the first receiver almost into no mans land covering no attacker. It looks like a system without any guidance. Tome Wright, Ikitau and a number of Wallabies went back to this soft centre as did Williams, Jordan and several others. Also when the line is broken the multiple lines of defence seems to be missing. The rush is predicated on a cover and recovery system with multiple lines of defence but with England you dont see it any more. Fitness and conditioning seems to be off as well as players are struggling to keep up with the intensity of the rush. Felix Jones has left a huge hole. The whole situation was and is a mess. Why they insist on not letting him go and having him work remotely is beyond me. Its leading to massive negative press and is a hot button issue thats distracting from the squad. Also the communication around Jones and his role has been absolute rubbish and is totally disjointed. While some say he is working remotely and playing a role others are saying theres been no contact. His role has not been defined and so people keep asking and keep getting different answers. England need a clean break from him and need to start over. Whatever reason for his leaving its time to cut the rope before the saga drags the whole Borthwick regime down. As for Joe El Abd well good luck to him. He is being made to look like an amateur by the whole saga and he is being asked to coach a system thats not his and which has been perfected and honed since 2017 by Nienaber, Jones, Erasmus and Co and which was first started by White in 2004. He is literally trying to figure out a system pioneered by double world cup winning coaches at the highest level and coach it at the same time. Talk about being on a hiding to nothing.

28 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones
Search