Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has confirmed Michael Hooper will not return for the rest of the Rugby Championship.
Hooper left the squad in Argentina, withdrawing ahead of the opening game of the tournament due to personal reasons.
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Rennie confirmed that whilst the flanker is 'on the improve', he will not feature in the immediate future.
“I’ve had plenty of contact with Hoops, I’m not going to comment on where he’s at and what that looks like, we’re not looking to include him in the rest of the Rugby Championship,” Rennie told reporters.
“We’ll make decisions beyond that, but certainly not looking to rush him in. But he’s certainly on the improve.”
Waratahs and Manly teammate Dave Porecki, who travelled back to Australia with Hooper, admits it'll be a 'weird' feeling not to run out alongside him on home soil.
“I caught up with him when I got back (to Australia), it’s obviously a bit weird not hearing his voice in here right now but he will eventually be back in," Porecki reaffirmed.
“The boys are supportive, with respect, that’s probably all I’m going to say on it.”
Reds flanker Fraser McReight has stepped into the role in his absence, once again named at flanker for Saturday's clash at a sold-out Allianz Stadium.
"He texted me after the game and brought up the two tries I got so he's probably sitting at home wishing he had scored those," McReight said after last week's win in Adelaide.
"I miss him and I want to keep learning off him as he's one of the greats so hopefully he comes back soon."
Rennie remained on guard for a fightback from the Springboks, making a raft of changes as they look to keep their Rugby Championship hopes alive.
“They made changes, I suspect some are due to form and some injury, we’ve been through that so you focus on what you’ve got and what we know is it’s still a quality Springboks side," he added.
“There’s a little bit of youth and energy included so we’re well aware of the threat they pose.”
