Hooper won't make the Wallabies his team

Michael Hooper doesn't want the Wallabies to fit his mould, he simply wants the entire squad to be united to get the job done no matter how much it hurts.

Wallabies rugby player Michael Hooper

New national captain Michael Hooper wants a Wallabies team who are united and tough. (AAP)

New Wallabies captain Michael Hooper isn't fussed about trying to make the team his own but has stressed the level of commitment he expects from his players.

Hooper on Wednesday was confirmed as the new captain after Stephen Moore decided to stand down, having already announced he would retire from international rugby at the end of this season.

The 25-year-old openside flanker said Moore had been a great mentor for him, but he wasn't looking to put his own stamp on the team.

"I don't want this to be my team," Hooper said.

"I want this to be the Wallabies that are driven, by right now, 50 players, absolutely willing to die to get the job done."

Hooper said he felt like an interim captain when he replaced the injured Moore in 2014, admitting it was sometimes hard for a 22-year-old to impose himself on more senior players.

"You've got guys you look up to and guys who have been around a long time," Hooper said.

"It's tough when you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone.

"While we're all friends and get along, we have to have uncomfortable situations at times to be able to get the best result, and at 22 I found that very difficult."

Hooper, who has been the NSW Waratahs captain for the past two seasons, believes ordering players to do something doesn't work.

"You yell at someone or tell someone to do something, are they going to change what they are doing?" Hooper said.

"They are the person that's actually got to make the change and they are the person that's got to want to make the change."'

Wallabies' coach Michael Cheika said Hooper commanded respect from fellow players all the way down to juniors and praised his new captain's style of play.

"He's a pretty brazen young guy in the way he plays the game," Cheika said.

"He hasn't got the hugest frame of all time, but he plays like he has got that."


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Source: AAP


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