Wallabies legend Michael Hooper has come out of retirement to sign for Japanese League One side Toyota Verblitz.
The 33-year-old has put pen to paper on a short-term deal, that will see Hooper link up with a Verblitz side coached by Steve Hansen and Ian Foster, with the likes of Aaron Smith and Joseph Manu in the playing squad.
Hooper, who retired after missing Olympic Sevens selection last year, says that he has fond memories from his short Japan stint in 2021.
“It’s a great club, really good people and competitive,” Hooper told WWOS.
“There wasn’t too many places I would have really been keen to play, and this was right up there because I had such a fond memory from being up there a few years back.”
Hooper played ten games for Verblitz in the 2021 Japan League One season, after being released from his NSW Waratahs contract to take a sabbatical in Japan.
The 125-Test Wallaby was excited for his new journey, something that he wasn’t expecting to happen.
“There is still a little part of me that would like to see if I could mix it again. I’m just stoked. It’s a bit of a Hail Mary that we didn’t see coming. There was some discussions a while back but this has really developed in pretty much a week’s time.”
Hooper received a call from head coach Hansen, who offered him a deal as Springbok star Pieter-Steph du Toit sustained an injury at some point throughout the first month of Japan League One action.
Toyota Verblitz have struggled to start the Japanese season, only picking up their first victory four games into the season in last weekend’s clash with TJ Perenara’s Black Rams.
They currently sit in eighth place ahead of their important match-up this weekend against the Robbie Deans’ coached top-of-the-table side, the Saitama Wild Knights.
