Tom Hooper Discusses Exeter Move and Injury Recovery
Exeter Chiefs forward Tom Hooper reflected on his transition from rural New South Wales to the south-west of England, detailing his physical approach to the professional game ahead of upcoming international fixtures, The Guardian reported.
Roots in Regional Australia and Settling in Devon
The 25-year-old forward arrived at Exeter a year ago following a rugby upbringing near Bathurst, where he played for the Bathurst Bulldogs. Growing up on cattle farming stock, Hooper acknowledged initial reservations about the club environment before joining. “I’ll be honest, when I first came here I thought the international players were going to be wankers,” Hooper told The Guardian. “But they weren’t at all … they were the loveliest, most humble guys.”
Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter pointed to similarities between Devon and Australia to explain the successful integration of antipodean players at the club. “Maybe Exeter and Devon is more like Australia than anywhere else in England,” Baxter observed to The Guardian. “There’s plenty of open space and we tend to be a relatively old school type of club.” Hooper currently lives in the centre of town rather than an isolated cottage, boarding with a landlord he describes as a grandfather figure who looks after him.
Hooper Recovers from Injury Ahead of World Cup
Standing 6ft 6in and weighing 125kg, Hooper has accumulated 25 caps for the Wallabies while maintaining a high workload across both hemispheres. A fractured shoulder blade suffered against Ireland last July forced him into a rehabilitation period that he described as a blessing in disguise to strengthen his body. “Sometimes you’ve just got to suck up a little bit of pain and push through it,” Hooper stated.
Some big returns to HQ 🏠Ross Vintcent and Tom Hooper are back in the mix for R3 against @NCL_RedBulls.Team news 🔗 https://t.co/XatclXc80T pic.twitter.com/F7e86s0mxI
Looking toward next year’s Rugby World Cup hosted by Australia, Hooper expressed confidence in the national squad’s depth and potential. His younger brother, 22-year-old Lachie Kemeny, plays for Northampton and features prominently in discussions regarding future squad talent. Hooper also noted the strong squad depth possessed by England, highlighting the work rate of players like Tom Curry ahead of upcoming matches.
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