It's one thing to target opposition ball when they're trying to get out of their own half, but you'll see most flankers will be a lot more wary once the team with the ball enters goalkicking range. This is the points zone; the yellow-card zone. Flankers will try to be whiter than white here. Hooper is the opposite, this is his feeding time. When the opposition gets in behind is when he starts to prey.
There's a good reason for this. Once you have punched in behind, it is almost natural for the cleaners to relax a bit, to become less focused on technique. You have front-foot ball, the opposition are scrambling and all you're really concentrating on is clearing the ball quickly. Hooper has a sixth sense for a sloppy clean-out and this is when he attacks, gets over the ball, can't be moved and either wins the ball or a penalty for his side. To do this, he has to be technically perfect, low-to-the-ground and attack the breakdown at precisely the right angle. It's uncanny how often he gets this spot on.
This can have a traumatic effect on the attacking side. It is not easy to get behind defensive screens in modern rugby. When you do, you need to capitalise. Someone like Hooper ruining all that good work can have a really negative effect on not only the scoreboard, but your mindset.
Ask the rest of the world what they think of Richie McCaw and you'll get a different answer to what you'd get if you asked a New Zealander. We see him as a genius, a brilliant player. They see him as a complete nuisance, a negative, a destroyer of rugby. I know, I've lived overseas and heard it all. They obsess about him. That's the sort of effect a really good flanker can have. McCaw's game has changed over the years and right now, there's nobody better at destroying great attacking opportunities than Hooper.
So what do you do to stop him?
It's actually a pretty simple concept, but you have to apply it relentlessly. You have to concentrate for 80 minutes and you have to treat every single breakdown with the utmost respect, whether you're defending in your 22m or punching holes on attack.
When you see Hooper approach - make sure you've identified some features, like head tape, that means you can pick him up early - make sure you're 100 per cent spot on technically in your cleanout.
There's two ways of doing this. If you're getting there at the same time as Hooper you need to be, as Steve Hansen has always coached, like a plane taking off. You need to start low, attack on an upwards angle and get under his chest and drive through. This will get him upright and there's nothing anybody can do effectively at the breakdown in an upright position.
If Hooper is already there and establishing position you need to adopt the squeeze-and-roll technique. This is basically a wrestling technique that forwards love to practice, backs less so. You're basically grabbing his arms around the shoulders, squeezing them together and rolling him out sideways. This will counter the stability he is trying to get over the ball.
If the Blues can do this, it will go a long way towards them re-establishing themselves as a Super Rugby contender with a win tonight. If not, Hooper will have a field day. Either way, it's going to be a great contest at Eden Park.
