FROM a possible World Rugby Under 20s Championship campaign in Italy to training in a mate's basement at O'Connell - Tom Hooper's plans for season 2020 have changed dramatically.
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The Saint Stainslaus' College graduate was named in the Junior Wallabies squad earlier this season and was looking to take the next step in an already promising rugby career.
Hooper plays club rugby for the Tuggeranong Vikings - he was named their 2019 Rookie of the Year - is a member of the ACT Brumbies Academy, and last year played in the Australian Schoolboys side.
But like all rugby union players across Australia, the coronavirus pandemic put the talented second rower's plans on hold.
"The [Under 20s] World Championships has been cancelled but there are a lot of things in the works, there's talk about getting some games at the back end of the year with New Zealand or some European countries," Hooper explained.
"That's all up in the air at the moment, but the positive for me is I have another year in the under 20s, so I can get next year in.
"It was pretty disheartening, obviously I had a pretty big pre-season which started on the back end of last year in November and I've been training pretty consistently since then.
"So to have not only the championships, but also the club season on hold is pretty disheartening.
"I guess it's just back to the drawing board, keep training and working towards that goal, it might just be a little later now than first expected."
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The under 20s tournament was to be held in late June-early July in northern Italy, while Hooper had also hoped to compete at the Oceania championships in a Junior Wallabies jumper.
While Hooper waits to see what rugby will go ahead this season, he is doing his own personal training "out of a mate's basement" and joining his brother for some running drills at Ashwood Park.
"The Brumbies coaching staff have given me a program to work with and that makes training a little bit easier, just a bit of structure and a bit of a guideline what to do," he said.
"We were just getting into the midst of things in the Canberra comp, we had one trial match which I missed unfortunately due to a head knock.
"I'm sure those trial matches will come, probably it now looks to be around August, but I'm trying to keep optimistic in these times."
One reason Hooper has for optimism is that he spent time during the pre-season training with the ACT Brumbies' Super Rugby squad.
It is an indication of the potential the Brumbies staff see in him, while it also gave Hooper a glimpse at the world of professional rugby.
"I spent eight weeks of the pre-season training with the main squad and before the lock down, I was on a part-time thing where I'd come in one or two days a week and train with them and just get some experience with fully contracted guys and professional players," he said.
"It was really good insight into hopefully what I can expect in the next couple of years. It really enriches my rugby because I get to have a firsthand experience.
"It's also great to see how they interact with each other and how inclusive they are of the young guys, it's really inspiring."
