REPORTS: Michael Hooper to sign Mega Deal with Australian rugby

According to reports Wallabies and Waratahs captain, Michael Hooper has given Australian rugby a massive boost for the future by signing a fresh five-year contract.

The new contract will take the captain through the next two Rugby World Cups and to the end of 2023. It's not the first five-year contract in Australian rugby - Lote Tuqiri signed a five-year deal in 2007 but left midway through that deal.

The length of the deal shows Hooper's value to the Wallabies, with a number of overseas clubs willing to offer Hooper more than than $1 million a season.

Reports of a five-year contract for Hooper first emerged back in April and News Limited outlets reported on Thursday night the deal had been finalised and was worth close to $6 million.

A Rugby Australia spokesman declined to comment but sources close to the Wallabies captain confirmed the new Hooper contract. First asked about the possibility of a long-term contract back in April, Hooper played his cards close to his chest.

Hooper missed the Waratahs' playoffs after injuring his hamstring against Ireland but is expected to return in the first Bledisloe Cup match against the All Blacks. 

Story via: rugby.com.au