Australia will be without Michael Hooper for Saturday’s Pool A decider against Wales after the flanker was suspended for a week by a Rugby World Cup judicial hearing. But Hooper, who was cited yesterday for an aggressive clearout of the England full back Mike Brown during Australia’s 33-13 victory, will be relieved to have only been given a seven-day suspension given the offence usually leads to a minimum of a two-week punishment.
In a statement, World Rugby said that their independent judicial officer, Alan Hudson of Canada, had given a reduced sentence because it was a low-end offence and that Hooper had otherwise displayed good conduct and character.
The statement added: “With respect to the sanction, the judicial officer determined that the offence was low-end, which has an entry point of two weeks. However, taking into account mitigating factors including his early admission, good conduct during the hearing and good character and the absence of any off-field aggravating factors, the player was suspended for a period of one week.
“In the context of the Rugby World Cup tournament, a week equates to one match. The suspension takes effect immediately, therefore Hooper is suspended for Australia’s final Pool A match against Wales on October 10. He is free to resume playing for Australia’s quarter-final. The player has 48 hours in which to appeal from the time he receives the full decision.”
The referee Romain Poite had only awarded a penalty after Hooper had charged into the ruck with his shoulder, but New Zealand’s citing commissioner, Steve Hind, determined Hooper’s actions could have justified a red card.
The Wallabies attack coach, Steve Larkham, admitted that Hooper’s loss was a blow but said that he was confident his squad were strong enough to cover for him against Wales. “Michael has been tremendous so far and in fact the games before tournament he was standout as well. It is hard to replace someone like that but guys are certainly ready to go,” he said.
“We have got a squad of 31 and that’s the reason you have a squad of 31. We have a couple of excellent players waiting for their chance – Ben McCalman and Sean McMahon. Sean could slot in at 7, or Ben can go to 8 and David Pocock at 7.”
