Wallabies

Queensland Reds powerhouse Tupou has told his teammates he will leave for the Melbourne Rebels next season, the prop recovering from an Achilles tear and unlikely to feature in Super Rugby Pacific until then.

Tupou arrived at Ballymore as a teenager with a viral YouTube highlights reel but will depart as a 26-year-old father, just shy of 100 caps and among the club’s top-five tryscorers.

AAP understands there are no sour grapes at the Reds, who were aware Tongan-born Tupou sought a change of scenery after nine years in Brisbane.

In what will be music to Eddie Jones’ ears, Hooper says he’d be open to leading Australia to the 2023 Rugby World Cup if the new coach comes knocking.

It was only less than seven months ago fans feared the champion flanker may have played his last test after dramatically leaving the Australian camp in Argentina on match eve to take a mental health break.

Even when he returned for the northern autumn tour of Europe, Hooper was making no promises and said taking back the captaincy from James Slipper was not in his plans.

Jones took over from the sacked Dave Rennie last month but, despite the World Cup being so close, has brought on board no backroom staff since his appointment.

Reuters reports the 63-year-old, who was knocked back this week by former New Zealand rugby league coach Michael Maguire, said he was looking for specific skills for a specific task.

"In a lot of ways, we've got time because as a coaching team, we need to be together probably for the last six or eight weeks of Super Rugby, where selection is going to become important," Jones said.

With Jones landing in Australia at the weekend after his shock appointment last week, RA chairman Hamish McLennan has revealed the Giteau Law, which allows a certain number overseas-based players to be selected for the Wallabies, will not be tweaked ahead of this year's World Cup.

"We're not going to destroy the Giteau Rule at all," McLennan told the ABC.

"It's there for a reason. We've made a commitment to New Zealand and Super Rugby. We have a new competition that will go through to 2030 so we are thinking long term.

"I think we've got plenty of time," Jones said on Nine's Today Show after Monday's shock announcement of his return to coach Australia, at Dave Rennie's expense.

"(1991 World Cup-winning coach Dwyer) always used to say, 'if you can't change a team in a week, you can't coach'.

"We've got more than a week, so let's hope I can coach."

Still in England, Jones will return to begin in his role later this month and also run the women's Wallaroos program, the five-year deal set to carry him through a British and Irish Lions' visit in 2025 and a home World Cup in 2027.

In a bombshell move by Rugby Australia, New Zealander Rennie was peremptorily fired after three seasons in the post and replaced by Australian Eddie Jones, who was sacked as England coach in December.

In a statement Rennie expressed disappointment that he wouldn't be able to fulfil his contract and lead them to this year's Rugby World Cup.

"I'm disappointed I won't be able to see out my contract in the way I agreed to back in 2019 but leave knowing I had the full support of the playing group and the staff."

That was a few days before Jones's England side famously beat the All Blacks in a World Cup semifinal, dumping them out of the tournament.

Because of the All Blacks' and England's scarcity of fixtures, Jones didn't get another chance to have a dig at New Zealand till late last year, when somehow his side came back from 25-6 down with 10 minutes left to tie the scores at fulltime. Had Marcus Smith not sent one conversion wide, it would have been remembered as one of the greatest English victories ever.

Jones has signed a five-year deal and will start on January 29, with Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan confirming the news in a statementon Monday morning.

“It is a major coup for Australian Rugby to have the best coach in the world return home to coach the iconic Wallabies and to oversee the Wallaroos program,” McLennan said.

“Eddie’s deep understanding of our rugby system and knowledge of our player group and pathways will lift the team to the next level.

Test veteran Cooper had a tough season in 2022.

The star pivot was ruled out of the Wallabies’ first test of the year against England after he injured his calf in the warm-up.

After a fairly lengthy stint on the sidelines, which ruled him out of the entire series against England, Cooper picked up another injury later in the year against Argentina.

Playing in the No. 10 jersey against Los Pumas in Mendoza, Cooper ruptured his Achilles during the 41-26 win.

Quade Cooper’s international season was over before it really began.

Reuters reports Australian Jones, who led the Wallabies to the 2003 World Cup final, has been linked with various roles at Rugby Australia since he was sacked by England in December.

"It's not going to happen," New Zealander Rennie told reporters, later adding: "It's not going to happen before the World Cup.

"We've had no discussions around changes to the coaching group ... what happens beyond 2023 is another matter."

Jones was equally blunt in an interview with the Guardian on Friday when he was asked whether he would be interested in working under Rennie.