Hooper steps down

Michael Hooper says he still wants to lead Australia despite stepping down from the Waratahs captaincy on the eve of the new season. NSW made the bombshell announcement yesterday, with Hooper revealing it was a change that had been on his mind for 18 months after a proud but ‘‘taxing’’ few years leading the Waratahs and Wallabies. Lock Rob Simmons will take over as captain, with Kurtley Beale to deputise from fullback in a major step up for the long-serving playmaker. Hooper said the decision was a difficult one but he still hoped to lead the Wallabies under new coach Dave Rennie.

Patrick Tuipulotu hopes captaining the Blues this year will help him become the world class lock he’s striving to be. The Blues announced yesterday that Tuipulotu would be the sole captain of the team this year, after sharing the role with Blake Gibson in 2019. Tuipulotu says it’s something that will take him out of his comfort zone, but is excited about the challenge. ‘‘It’s my home town, home province,’’ Tuipulotu said. ‘‘I’m pretty honoured and privileged to again lead this team, it’s obviously different circumstances this time around, with myself solely. But in saying that, I’ve got a good group of guys behind me, who are going to help me out throughout the year.’’ The Blues have lost experienced leaders like Ma’a Nonu and Sonny Bill Williams from last year’s squad and will put an extra expectation on Tuipulotu and other key players to step up.