Michael Hooper Net Worth, Wife, Baby, News, Salary & More

To become the most-capped Wallabies captain of all-time takes extraordinary talent and leadership skills beyond the norm. For NSW Waratahs star Michael Hooper, the journey to sealing that record has been arduous and inspiring.

Across the past decade Hooper has solidified himself as a key player in 124 appearances for Australia and 138 games for the NSW Waratahs, winning numerous fans along the way with his authenticity off the field and guile on the field. 

However, Hooper, 31, stunned the world last year when he announced his withdrawal from the 2022 Wallabies tour of Argentina, citing “mindset issues” as his reason for taking time away. The situation has led Hooper to reveal his uncertainty for the future of his career, leaving his fans and the rugby world anticipating his next move. With Hooper due to represent the Wallabies at the upcoming 2023 Rugby World Cup and potentially set for a move to rugby sevens in the future, let’s have a look at the career of one of the all-time great Australian rugby players.

Michael Hooper Quick Facts

Who Is Michael Hooper?

Michael Kent Hooper is an Australian professional rugby union player who represents the Wallabies – Australia’s national rugby team – and the NSW Waratahs in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. Born and raised in Manly, Hooper’s father David Hooper played rugby for Blackheath F.C. prior to emigrating to Australia when he was 24. David Hooper hails from the English county of Kent, hence his son’s middle name. 

Michael Hooper plays as an openside flanker and has spent time with the ACT Brumbies and Japanese side Toyota Verblitz in addition to his many years with the NSW Waratahs. Significantly, Hooper currently holds the record for most appearances as Wallabies captain and is 4th on the all-time appearances list for Australia’s national side. 

Michael Hooper’s Rugby Career

Early Years

As a boy born and raised in Manly, it seemed pre-destined that Michael Hooper would eventually represent the suburb in rugby union. Hooper would spend his junior career with Manly, the club which also brought through Wallaby George Smith and was home to his father, David Hooper, upon arrival from England.

The flanker donned the traditional green and gold for Australia’s national under-20s side in the 2011 Junior World Cup. Hooper was a standout player throughout the tournament, going so far as to captain his side at times and earn recognition as the International Player of the Tournament as the U20s earned a third-place finish.

Club Career

Michael Hooper would make his Super Rugby debut for the Brumbies in place of the injured George Smith, a former Manly junior himself. Hooper’s excellent 2012 season led to him being named Rookie of the Season by the Australian Rugby Union and making his breakthrough move to the NSW Waratahs, where he has since established himself as a legend of the sport.

An injury to then Waratahs captain Dave Dennis in 2014 saw Hooper given the responsibility to lead his side for the remainder of the season. In what became a historic season for the Waratahs, Hooper and his team pushed all the way to the Grand Final against the Crusaders (historically Super Rugby’s best team), which they dramatically won 33-32. It would be their first-ever Grand Final win and their sole Championship to date.

During the 2020-21 season, Hooper briefly departed the Waratahs to join up with former New Zealand captain Kieran Read and South Africa full-back Willie le Roux to play for Toyota Verblitz in the Japanese Top League. The trio were coached by Steve Hansen, the former All Blacks coach. 

Hooper’s future in club rugby is uncertain as of the conclusion of the 2022-23 Super Rugby season. The legendary flanker has hinted at a few different possibilities for his playing career, though he has not settled on a decision as of yet. 

Wallabies

Michael Hooper and the Wallabies just seem to be a perfect fit. Picturing one without the other would be a strange image for fans of the sport to process seeing as, at this stage, the heroic flanker has not committed to a definite decision on his future with the side. Today he’s viewed as a legend for the Wallabies, but in retrospect Hooper had the makings of a rugby great from early on.

Hooper would make his debut for Australia off the back of his incredible form in the 2012 Super Rugby season which saw him being named as the Rookie of the Season. Hooper made his international debut in a match against Scotland, in Newcastle, on 5 June 2012, which Australia lost 9-6.

His first go at the captaincy arrived in 2014 when, at just 22, he led Australia out against France. Seven years later, Hooper would become the Wallabies’ most-capped captain against South Africa, beating the previous record set by George Gregan after hitting 60 caps. 

His first tries in Test rugby arrived when he scored twice against Ireland in November 2013 in his 26th International. Amazingly, Hooper became the first Wallaby forward to score 20 tries against Argentina in December 2020.

Australia’s win over Argentina in the semi-final of the 2015 Rugby World Cup would be Hooper’s 50th cap for the side, meaning he reached his half-century in three years and four months – a record for the Wallabies. Cap No. 100 would come against New Zealand in October 2020. 

Hooper is a three-time recipient of the John Eales Medal, which is named after the World Cup-winning Wallaby captain and awarded by the Rugby Union Players’ Association to the leading Australian Player of the Year. Hooper has won it three times (in 2013, 2016, and 2020), matching the only previous three-time winner, Israel Folau, in the process. 

After captaining his side to a 2015 Rugby Championship and a Runners Up medal in the Rugby World Cup that same year, Hooper will be looking to go one better than their previous efforts at this year’s tournament in France. Though Australia is now captained by Brumbies prop James Slipper, Hooper will still be putting everything on the line in an effort to help lead his side to what would be a first World Cup trophy since 1999. 

Michael Hooper Career Stats

Since debuting for the Wallabies and eventually becoming the third youngest Australian captain in history at 22-years-old (after Trevor Allan (21 in 1947) and Jimmy Flynn (20 in 1914)), Hooper has become a dominant force in the sport of rugby union. Whilst not a regular try scorer due to his position at flanker, Hooper has been successful at crossing the in-goal several times throughout his career.

Is Michael Hooper Retiring?

Currently, Michael Hooper is not officially retiring from the sport he has successfully made his name in. However, the iconic Wallaby has left his longtime club side the NSW Waratahs upon completion of the 2023 Super Rugby season, and is yet to make a decision on his next steps. In addition to potentially playing in France or Japan, Hooper has hinted at a possible move to Rugby Sevens, stating to the Sydney Morning Herald:

“Sevens is on the landscape but there is a lot of work and detail that needs to go into that,” Hooper said.

“Those guys are incredibly fit, and it’s a different game, and it’s a different beast to when I started and played a bit … years and years ago. I am a different player now as well, so how that would even look, there is a lot of discussion that needs to be had. Is there overseas, is there something else? I am open to it.”

What Type Of Player Is Michael Hooper?

Having been a key player for Australia for over a decade, Michael Hooper has become beloved by fans for as much his fearlessness and leadership qualities as his ability on the field. First and foremost, Hooper is a natural athlete who possesses the necessary unstoppable engine to take on the responsibilities of an well-rounded openside flanker. 

Hooper balances silky skills in the loose and a knack for earning steals at the breakdown, meaning he is often at the centre of the action winning balls at the ruck, making big tackles, and collecting short offloads from tackled players. Although he holds the unenviable record of copping eight yellow cards in his international career (sharing the title with Georgian Viktor Kolelishvili), Hooper’s rough style of play has been crucial to his teams’ success throughout his career. 

Why Did Michael Hooper Take A Break From Rugby?

In 2022, Michael Hooper shocked the rugby world when he announced his sudden withdrawal from the Wallabies squad ahead of their Rugby Championship tournament in Argentina. In October that same year, Hooper fronted the press in an effort to provide some clarity to the public about his decision to step away from the game for a period. 

“I’d been playing the game for a long time, had some great changes in my life happen this year and I think there was a lot of things running through my head that sort of showed up in Argentina,” Hooper explained. 

“Argentina wasn’t the place where I needed or was able to sort those things out. I wanted to be around family, I wanted to be in a place that I could put the time into those things I needed to put in.”

With Hooper marrying in 2021 and having his first child in early 2022, it seemed like family and mental health became the priority for the former Wallabies captain. 

“And that doesn’t mean that I’m sitting here now completely cured,” he added.

“It’s not like that at all, it’s just that at that point in time I needed to be somewhere else and that wasn’t Argentina.

“I know that’s quite vague but I’m still getting my head around it. It’s not that long ago but I’m feeling at a place now where I’m keen to be here.”

Michael Hooper, Manly Boy Through & Through

Those who live in or have been to Manly in Sydney’s Northern Suburbs know just how picturesque it is. A quintessential slice of Australiana made up of gorgeous beaches, it’s no wonder Manly local and Wallabies captain Michael Hooper doesn’t shy away from showing plenty of pride in the area he hails from.

Hooper’s Instagram alone is a major testament to this love for the suburb he grew up and played junior rugby in, with plenty of snaps taken of the rugby flanker surfing its mighty waves and living it up in the surroundings. 

Michael Hooper’s Relationship History

Michael Hooper is currently married to his partner of many years, Kate Howard. Though it’s unclear how long the couple have been together, the two tied the knot in 2021 and added a child to their growing family in early 2022. Hooper is close with his family, with homesickness a major reason behind his decision to step down and take a break from rugby union in 2022. Undoubtedly, during that tough period in Hooper’s life, his family would have been integral to aiding the rugby union star back to his best. 

Michael Hooper Net Worth

Wallabies legend Michael Hooper currently has an estimated net worth of $5 million. In addition to his contracts with the NSW Waratahs and Rugby Australia (the representative body which coordinates the Wallabies), Hooper is an ambassador for iconic Aussie brands Land Rover Australia and McLaren Vale Rosé.

Leisure

Hooper’s favourite activities include water skiing, swimming, playing freestyle baseball, and spending quality time with his friends. In his travels, he has explored various destinations like Aichi and Nagoya, as well as his hometown, Manly Beach in Sydney, Australia.

Additionally, Hooper is a supportive friend, as evidenced by his announcement of the launch of Tobes and Katsy Rose, presumably a project or venture involving his friends.

Excitedly, Hooper revealed that the 2024 and 2027 Rugby World Cups are set to take place in his home country of Australia.

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As an official partner of Land Rover Motors, Hooper enjoys a collaborative relationship with the automotive brand, representing their values and products through his association.

During the Semi-finals of the 2023 Rugby Cup, Hooper predicted South Africa against England, stating that South Africa would win, and for New Zealand against Argentina, he predicted New Zealand for the win. The superstar’s last post was in December 2023.

Changes…

Michael Hooper has candidly discussed his transition to rugby sevens following his departure from the 15-a-side game last year. The 32-year-old Wallabies legend faced a tough blow when he was dropped from Eddie Jones’s squad for the 2023 World Cup. The tournament ended in disappointment for Australia, prompting Jones to resign after just five months in charge.

However, the journey has been a humbling one for the former captain, who boasts an impressive 125 Test caps for his country. In the world of HSBC Sevens, Hooper has encountered a different breed of athletes, where the emphasis is placed on being “athletes first, rugby players second.” This shift in focus highlights the challenges and adjustments Hooper has had to navigate as he pursues success in a new sporting arena.