Tom Hooper: Exeter's Australia Flanker on Prem and World Cup Ambitions
Embracing a New Challenge: Tom Hooper's Journey to Exeter Chiefs
Just a few minutes in the company of Tom Hooper is all it takes to understand the happiness he is experiencing in his first season at Exeter Chiefs. The 24-year-old Australia flanker has seamlessly integrated into the Prem club, which was one of the big summer signings, adding a touch of stardust to a squad that fell short of expectations last season.
Exeter brought in some extra international class, including fellow Wallaby Len Ikitau and Italian pair Stephen Varney and Andrea Zambonin, to complement the existing talent of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Greg Fisilau, and Henry Slade. Hooper shared his thoughts with BBC Sport before his side's final European Challenge Cup pool game, expressing his ease in adapting to the new environment.
"Coming into this environment has been so easy," Hooper said. "I feel like I'm just back playing with my mates. It feels a lot like home, which is really special, and as you've seen, it's a special group, and we're doing a lot of good things on the field."
The list of Australians who have shone in Devon is long and distinguished, including players like Dean Mumm, Dave Dennis, Greg Holmes, Lachie Turner, and Nic White. Former Australia and now Samoa prop Scott Sio provided valuable insights to Hooper during his fourth season at Exeter, while scrum-half White, who spent two and a half seasons at the Chiefs, offered important counsel.
"He was always speaking very highly of this place," Hooper said of White, who he first played alongside as a teenager with Super Rugby's Brumbies in 2021. "So it was always kind of on the wish list, on the bucket list to try and tick off playing here at some stage. I actually didn't think it was going to be so early in my career, but I'm so blessed that they came looking for me, and I just knew it was a pretty easy answer once a few things got aligned."
Now in England, Hooper is getting used to the highly competitive Prem Rugby season. Exeter is currently third in the campaign, with 50% more wins than their entire total last season when they finished second-from-bottom. Hooper acknowledges the quality of the competition and his desire to improve as an individual and as a rugby player.
"I knew it was a quality competition, and I wanted to better myself as an individual and as a rugby player," he said. "Coming here, not just the ferocity of the games on the field, but I guess the challenges off-field in terms of improving myself as an athlete in the gym, on the training park, it's been great. I've loved how everyone goes about their business over here, whether that's us or our competition that we're facing. I'm loving the standard that it's forcing me to rise to."
Hooper's presence in Australia's back row is notable. He started all six of his country's Rugby Championship fixtures last year and featured in two Tests against the British and Irish Lions, with his one start coming in the third Test victory in Sydney. However, with him being one of Australia's main names on the teamsheet, it could spell disappointment for Exeter fans.
The Wallabies prefer to select players who play in Australia rather than overseas if they are of equal calibre, so it could mean Hooper having to leave Sandy Park if he wants to guarantee a place in the squad for a home World Cup in 2027. Despite this, Hooper remains optimistic, stating that he is taking the opportunity at Exeter with both hands and is grateful for the support from Exeter's coaches regarding his international ambitions.
"I've always said that there's only positives to come out of this, and right now, I'm taking this opportunity at Exeter with two hands," he added. "If that results in an extended stay here, then so be it, and I'm playing for my country and everything's going well, but if it results in me heading back home, that's also a positive because it gets me closer to my family. For me, I'd kind of hit my ceiling in Australia, I wanted to experience a new competition and I wanted to face different oppositions, different coaching, and I've gone and done that now, and that's tracking in a positive direction for me. I can't see myself moving on unless there's another growth for me to be had, so right now, I'm really settled in my decision. I'm really happy with being here, but I'm not saying that I won't return to Australia because that might be the best place for me at the time."
Regardless of how long Hooper stays at Exeter, his aim is to win. The Chiefs are performing well in the Prem, winning at notoriously difficult places like Saracens and Sale this season, and suffered just two narrow defeats away at Bath and Bristol. After four seasons outside the play-offs, Exeter looks to be back to the side that impressed in the latter half of the last decade, and Hooper is targeting medals.
"If we can get to those big games, the final of the Challenge Cup, final of the Prem Cup, final of the Prem, and we can perform at a high-quality level, leaving absolutely everything, just absolutely ringing the last drop of sweat that we have left in our bodies into those three competitions, I think we can finish the season with our heads really high. I genuinely think that we have the group that if we do that, we'll be coming away with a lot of silverware. That's all you can ask. If you look at this group, what's really special about it is that the boys just put in for each other week in, week out, and if we can end that season just absolutely drained, like the petrol tank's absolutely empty, I think we'll be very proud of our efforts."
Hooper's journey at Exeter Chiefs is a testament to his adaptability and ambition, and his impact on the team is already evident. Whether he stays for the long haul or returns to Australia, his goal of winning remains unchanged, and his contributions to Exeter's success will be remembered.
