'I hope there is nothing to it': Hooper reacts to match-fixing bombshell
Australian captain Michael Hooper admits he was shocked to read there were concerns about a Wallabies game several years ago being possibly fixed, saying he hopes there is "nothing to it".
The Herald revealed on Thursday night that Rugby Australia was set to be contacted by “high-ranking sporting officials” who were concerned about the possibility of match-fixing in a Wallabies game several years ago.
The allegations involve a match the Wallabies were favoured to win and caught the eye of officials after there were strange incidents, including “dubious forward passes, easy tackles being missed, confounding knock-ons and easy midfield kicks going nowhere near their target.”
A concerned official told the Herald: “This issue has to again be looked into. Our suspicions were originally raised due to the very strange mistakes made by usually reliable Australian players during that game. Some errors are glaring. It’s like watching Tiger Woods miss a two-inch putt, over and over again. Very odd."
Hooper, who has captained the Wallabies on 38 occasions, expressed his surprise at the report.
"I saw that last night and [it was] a bit of a shock,” Hooper told reporters on Friday at the SCG ahead of the Waratahs' match with the Queensland Reds. “I’ve seen Rugby Australia's comment this morning and that just puts it to bed really. So [I am] not really [surprised or offended].
“It's just come out. I'm not focusing on it too much. I hope there's nothing to it.”
Rugby Australia released a statement on Friday morning.
“Rugby Australia wishes to confirm it has seen no evidence in regards to inappropriate betting activity or match fixing and has no record of any such investigation occurring in the past," the statement read.
"Rugby Australia takes any allegation of match fixing very seriously and would always thoroughly investigate should any person or entity ever provide information to the integrity unit.”
Hooper said he would never question the integrity of any Australian rugby player and particularly those he has taken the field with.
“That's the way I'm built and the guys I've played have all been cut from the same cloth,” Hooper said. “I can speak on behalf of the guys I've played with for sure.”