SHEFFIELD winger Christian Hooper admits reaching 100 tries in 100 games for the club was a moment he will cherish but insists the milestone means little without the team success that has underpinned it.
The prolific finisher brought up the landmark in the same match he made his 100th appearance, helping the table toppers to a 29-17 victory over Fylde last weekend to maintain their unbeaten National League 2 North record.
Hooper’s simultaneous double century is believed to be a first in Sheffield colours, underlining both his consistency and his importance to the league leaders’ attacking output.
“It was pretty special,” Hooper told The Rugby Paper. “My mum and dad came up from London, so to do it in front of them made it even nicer. It was a really good occasion. I’m immensely proud. I don’t think it’s been done before for Sheffield, so that’s a big thing for me. But it’s also a thank you to all the boys as they’re the ones putting me in those positions.”
The build-up to the occasion had been growing all week, with the winger sitting on 99 tries and 99 appearances heading into the fixture.
“Once it got to that point it became a big talking point,” he said. “Everyone at the club got behind it. The old boys were excited; the staff were pushing it. It felt like everyone want ed it to happen, which was really nice.
While the individual ac colade grabbed headlines, Hooper was quick to stress the result remained the priority. “The most import-ant thing was getting the win,” he said. “Fylde are always tough opponents, so to get the result as well made it a perfect day”
Hooper’s milestone caps a remarkable personal campaign, with the flyer currently sitting on 21 tries in 16 appearances.
“It’s probably a reflec-tion of how we’re playing this year,” said Hooper. “We’re creating a lot of op-portunities out wide and I’m lucky enough to be fin-
ishing them off” Among the standout
moments have been hat tricks against Otley on the opening day and away at Macclesfield – the latter particularly memorable given the circumstances.
“Macclesfield away was probably the biggest win of the season for me, he said. “We had a red card before half-time and a few yellows as well, so we had to really dig in.”
London-born Hooper’s journey to Sheffield be gan through the university pathway after moving north for his studies.
was He said: “I went to the University of Sheffield where Anthony Posa (Sheffield DOR) coaching. He brought me and Callum Posa into the club from there and I’ve stayed ever since.”
That continuity has helped forge a tight-knit environment both on and off the pitch.
“It’s brilliant,” he said. “It’s not just on-field where we’re doing well as the social side is great as well. It’s a really nice place to be around at the moment.
“We don’t like to look too far ahead. It’s always about the next game. Pro-motion would be nice, but we’re just focused week to week.
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