The heartbreaking reason Wallabies great Michael Hooper could miss the Olympics after Eddie Jones ruined his World Cup dream

Michael Hooper could suffer a second heartbreak in the space of a year, with a groin injury threatening his bid to compete at the Olympics in Paris.

Wallabies great Hooper, 32, was brutally left out of Eddie Jones's Australia squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, with the outspoken coach opting to prioritise youth over experience.

That campaign ended in disaster, with the Wallabies dumped out at the pool stage and Jones quitting for Japan, while Hooper turned his back on rugby union for sevens. 

However, his hopes of competing in the Olympics in Paris are in doubt, with the veteran suffering osteitis pubis. He was left out of the men's squad for the World Sevens Series final tournament in Madrid next week, which would have been the perfect opportunity to nail down his place in the squad for Paris.

Instead, Hooper faces a race against time to be fit for selection at the end of June. 

Hooper has proven himself as a reliable player in sevens while playing in Hong Kong, solidifying his chances of making the national team before his latest setback. 

Australia coach John Manenti admitted the timing of Hooper's injury is not ideal but it does not mean his Olympics dream is totally derailed. 

'We had to make a decision [for Madrid] - there's enough there that he can't run fast, which he obviously has to do,' Manenti said. 'We thought we would back him off a bit. We have friendly games against Fiji in a few weeks, and we will be able to pull him back with the intention of letting him loose there and have a final crack at trying to make the squad.

'He is working really hard, unfortunately they are overuse injuries and come essentially from running. The running load we have put him under, and the speed, is considerably more than he's had to do a for a long time.

'He has had it [osteitis pubis] before in XVs but it is also one of those things where if you don't manage it you can end up being in discomfort for a long time.'

Hooper was at the launch of Stan's Olympics coverage in Sydney on Wednesday, where he was unveiled as a commentator at the Games, but he wasn't shy about revealing his main goal is to be competing, not just commentating. 

'He has been doing everything he can do, he made really good progress from his first tournament to the second tournament,' Manenti continued.

'He still has things to get; the hardest thing is he is hardwired from things he's done his whole career and we are trying to get him to do things differently. That's not easy so you need time.

'But he has already started to show signs of progress around [his injury]. We get him running again and build him back up, and give him every chance to perform in Fiji for those last selection trials.'

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