Hooper moves to Leeds

By Jason Harris
April 23 2003

Promising Saracens second row Stuart Hooper has stunned followers of the Men in Black by moving to Zurich Premiership Rivals Leeds Tykes.

The 22-year old joins the Headingley outfit on a two-year deal starting in the summer.

Phil Davies, the Tykes head coach, said "Stuart Hooper is one of the best young second-rows in the country. He is an England Under-21 international and has a massive future in the game."

Davies could not hide his delight at the signing of the player touted by many as a future Saracens captain and England regular and added "I've been looking at him for more than a year and I'm chuffed to bits he's agreed to come to the Tykes.

The former Wales no8 said that signing Hooper was a coup for the Yorkshire club as the Men in Black wanted to hold on to their man:

"Saracens certainly didn't want to let him go but when the time was right we moved in and now he's on his way to Headingley."

Hooper's long term replacement at Sarries is likely to be Newport captain Simon Raiwalui, but the Fijian will be unavilable for the first half of the 2003-04 Zurich Premiership season due to World Cup commitments, leaving Wayne Shelford with a hole to fill in the Sarries second row.

French veteran Abdel Benazzi is set to retire at the end of the season and will become the fourth lock - after Hooper, Craig Qunnell and Kieron Roche - to leave the club in less than a year, leaving Craig Yandell as the only remaining experienced second rower.