Hooper farewell party crashed by strugglers

10 months ago 76

Michael Hooper's Sydney farewell enactment was crashed by Moana Pasifika arsenic the NSW Waratahs slumped to an embarrassing 33-24 nonaccomplishment connected Saturday night.

Hooper, who captained the Waratahs successful spot of Jake Gordon, was playing his last location lucifer for the club.

The talismanic flanker maintained his accustomed precocious standards - and scored a precocious consolation effort - but the team's show was level arsenic Moana claimed their lone triumph of the Super Rugby Pacific season.

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Michael Hooper of the Waratahs is tackled astatine Allianz Stadium. (Getty)

The effect didn't impact NSW's playoff plans, with the nine locked into sixth spot and a quarter-final day with the Blues successful Auckland careless of the outcome.

The Waratahs volition commencement fertile outsiders and manager Darren Coleman volition besides beryllium sweating connected the fittingness of Wallabies Gordon, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Izaia Perese and Langi Gleeson who each picked up injuries astatine Allianz Stadium.

Winger Timoci Tavatavanawai and flanker Miracle Fai'ilagi some scored doubles for Moana, portion skipper Christian Leali'ifano raced distant for a memorable try.

"Congrats to Moana," the humble Hooper told Stan Sport's Drew Mitchell.

"They unopen america down truly well, they enactment unit connected america from the get-go. For them to travel out, successful a pugnacious season, to get the win, congrats to them. They played with a batch of heart.

"Yeah, disappointing for america rolling into a quarter-final adjacent week...

"We weren't accurate, we missed a batch of areas successful the game, but that's the mode it goes."

The Blues thumped the Waratahs 55-21 astatine Eden Park successful the regular play and warmed up for the finals with a 16-9 triumph implicit the Highlanders connected Friday.

The Waratahs haven't beaten the Blues distant since 2009 and volition besides have 1 little time to hole for the daunting challenge.

Blues manager Leon MacDonald is expecting prima playmaker Beauden Barrett to play aft missing 2 games with a nasty gash connected his foot.

"Tonight was acold from our best," Hooper said.

"We've had immoderate bully patches passim the year, truthful we're going to request that going into finals time. There's a request to play your champion footy there. We were disconnected it tonight.

"Yeah, it sucks. But you know, tons to play for adjacent week. "

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