Michael Hooper has reportedly been offered a five-year deal by Rugby Australia (RA), with his provincial boss saying it's critical to retain the services of both their captain and star back Israel Folau.
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According to News Corp Australia, the long-term contract offer to the Wallabies and Waratahs leader and flanker is the longest tabled by RA.
Shorter-term options are understood to be available to Hooper, who's off contract at the end of this year and would command a salary of about $1 million a season.
NSW Rugby chief executive Andrew Hore on Friday acknowledged the importance of the Waratahs keeping their two biggest stars in Hooper and Folau, who's also coming off contact at the end of this year.
"We're trying to build something here and I think Michael is very important in our future moving forward and we've got a lot of time for him as a man as well as a rugby player," Hore told AAP.
"They are pretty critical for us to retain."
Hore said discussions were ongoing between Rugby Australia and Hooper and Folau's representatives.
Hooper is believed to be keen to continue his playing career in Australia.
"I love playing rugby in Australia," he recently told News Corp.
Rugby Australia high-performance boss Ben Whitaker hinted that Hooper's contract would be longer than those of other players.
"What I would say is that with a player like that, you want to see how you can engage in him in this environment for as long as possible and as long as he wants to, and as long as he is going to contribute at the top level," he said.
The NSWRU announced it had made a profit of about $14,000 after what Hore said was "one of the most trying years in recent history" due to the tumult surrounding Super Rugby in 2017.
He was optimistic about the Waratahs, with the team already winning more Super Rugby games than in all of last season.
"The fact of the matter is if you'd said that this time last year that this time this year we'd be 5-2-1, you'd probably bite their arm off," Hore said.
Australian Associated Press