Tom Hooper named in Junior Wallabies squad for the Oceania Rugby tournament

The talented Bathurst lock was one of 31 players picked for the Oceania Rugby tournament on the Gold Coast, his selection one he worked hard to earn.

He was first named in an extended Junior Wallabies squad in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic meant Hooper did not get the chance to go on and represent at under 20s level last year.

This season Hooper was again named in an extended squad that took part in Junior Wallabies selection camps and this time he got the nod.

"At the start of the year we had quite a large squad which I was very fortunate to be in. It was good to have that amount of guys in the squad so we could call to those members if needs be, but yeah, it's been a long process cutting that squad down and finalising it," he said.

"All us boys who get to go around this year are all ecstatic to be there and hoping we can pull on the threads against our Trans Tasman rivals.

"I was very grateful to represent my country at under 18s, but to take that next step up to the next rung on the ladder so they say is a real honour, to play for under 20s get under selectors eyes and just do our country proud."

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As Hooper indicated, he has previously worn green and gold. He was a member of the Australian Schoolboys which beat New Zealand in 2019 while last year he lined up for an open-age Australian XV outfit against Argentina.

Since then he has gone on to make his Super Rugby debut for the ACT Brumbies, getting game time against New Zealand outfits the Crusaders, Chiefs, Highlanders, Blues and Hurricanes.

He experienced first-hand the strength of New Zealand rugby in those fixtures - the Brumbies only managing to beat the Hurricanes - but that has only served to fuel his desire to impress against the Kiwis in national colours.

"When I was on the phone with my Australian 20s coach, when he let me know I was in the squad, I told him I was very keen to get stuck into them and get one back after what they did to us in Super Rugby," Hooper said.

"They are the heavyweights of world rugby now, regardless of what the rankings say them and South Africa are leading the charge. So we've really got to hand it to our southern counterparts, but in the under 20s we'll do our best to knock the baby All Blacks over.

"They're our main rivals, so to play them twice will be absolutely awesome.

"We really want to make sure we stick to to them and show that our juniors are coming through with a lot of prosperity and are looking to strengthen in the next couple of years for Australian rugby."

While the constantly evolving COVID-19 situation may force a schedule change, at this stage Hooper and his Junior Wallabies will do battle with New Zealand under lights on July 6 and July 10 on the Gold Coast. It will add to his already big year.

"We all have goals we set out to tick off at the start of the year, it was an unpredictable year on what my goals were to be, but I've ticked off a few that I've wanted to make and this extra one of having a few under 20s games - yeah it's just the cherry on top really," he said.

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