Tom Hooper returns to France, a place that evokes bittersweet memories after the disappointing participation of the Wallabies in the 2023 World Cup. In that tournament, under the direction of coach Eddie Jones, Australia suffered a hard blow by being eliminated in the group stage for the first time in its history. Two years later, the Wallabies face a similar situation, with the possibility of registering a negative record. After falling to England, Italy and Ireland, Australia will seek to redeem themselves on their spring tour with a victory against France in Paris. However, another defeat would mean a record of 10 defeats in a calendar year and their first winless European tour in four matches in 67 years. Hooper says the atmosphere in the Wallabies camp is very different under coach Joe Schmidt, who has received criticism for the team’s current performance. The burly player was part of the Australian team humiliated by Wales with a score of 40-6 in Lyon, which practically confirmed their elimination from the World Cup.Description: Wallabies players react to their defeat against Italy in Udine, November 8, 2025. Hooper, from Paris, commented: “I was in the locker room in 2023 after the defeat against Wales, where we really didn’t put up any fight.” “The progress we’ve made since then has been astounding.” “I know that for the Australian fans, at this moment it seems that we are very discouraged.” “Mentally we are, but physically and in terms of our belief and our mentality towards where we can take this team and where we are going to take this team, it has never been stronger.” “And the main driver of that has been Joe Schmidt.” Hooper added that the New Zealand mentor works tirelessly to help the Wallabies overcome their slump.
“He still believes in us, which is amazing from a head coach.” “Immediately after that locker room scene on the weekend, it got us all on our feet, shook us up, connected us as a group and gave us a clear message, and that is that he still believes in us”. “We have to believe in what we are doing and, as Joe said, these results haven’t gone our way, but they will make us better.” Schmidt’s selections and game plan have also been criticized, but Hooper indicated that it depends on the players to better execute their skills, especially in the aerial game and in the lineout, which were particularly weak in the 46-19 defeat to Ireland, where they conceded six tries. “We completely believe in what Joe is building here, and we’ve all completely bought into that program and the system he had in place,” said Hooper, who has been one of Australia’s best players all year. “Over the weekend, there were a couple of times when their system and their program would have worked, but we just didn’t execute as players.” “So we fully believe in their ability and in the ability of the entire coaching staff, the way they are preparing us has been wonderful.” “Ultimately, we just have to make sure we take the tools we’ve been given all week, we’re calm, we’re serene, and then we perform on the weekend.”He doesn’t really sleep, he’s always working for us, so when it comes to team meetings, the message is clear.
Hooper
