Daniel Hooper steps Into assistant coaching role at Brumbies

Brumbies have confirmed that Daniel Hooper has been promoted to the position of Backs and Attack Coach ahead of the upcoming Super Rugby season.

The 45-year-old, who previously served as the club’s Head of Elite Pathways and Player Development, has signed a two-year deal.

Hooper takes over from Rod Seib, who departed at the end of the 2024 campaign to join Irish province Connacht after five successful years with the Brumbies.

He expressed his excitement at stepping into the Brumbies’ senior coaching structure.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for me to join the coaching staff here at the Brumbies and make the next step in my career,” he said.

“We have some world-class players in the group that I’m looking forward to coaching, and there are plenty of guys I’ve already worked with in my Academy role.

"We’re all systems go now for Super Rugby and I can’t wait to get started.”

Before his coaching career, Hooper played provincial rugby in both England and New Zealand.

He began his coaching journey with the Queensland Reds as Regional Development Manager before moving to Canberra in 2013 to join the Brumbies as Coaching and Development Manager.

In 2017, he was appointed as Head of Academy, where he oversaw significant success, including two consecutive U19 Super Rugby titles.

Hooper’s promotion comes as the Brumbies continue to build on a strong record in recent years. Under Seib, the club reached the Super Rugby AU final in his first season and maintained consistent top-four finishes in subsequent Super Rugby Pacific campaigns.

“Hoops has done an incredible job at the helm of the Academy program and has achieved some excellent results, as shown by the recent success of the U19s,” said head coach Stephen Larkham.

“He’s worked extremely hard to get to where he is and shown a great understanding of coaching and player development. The players that have worked with Hoops speak incredibly highly of him.

“Everyone at the organisation is looking forward to him becoming a part of the coaching set-up.”