Long-term.

Wallabies captain Michael Hooper has been offered a record-breaking 5-year contract by the Australian Rugby Union (ARU), in a bid to tie him down until at least the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

It’s the longest every deal put on the table by the ARU, and would see him earn in excess of AUS $1 million-a-year. It follows a precedent set out by some English clubs, with Owen Farrell recently signing a 5-year deal of his own. Something that is relatively new to rugby.

The move comes in the wake of the Israel Folua controversy, with his position within Australian rugby looking more and more precarious. The ARU are rushing to tie down one of their best players in Hooper.

Hooper, meanwhile, says he has not yet made a decision on his future, with European clubs prepared to offer, arguably the best openside in the world, considerably more than the ARU can afford.

Asked if a long-term contract in Australia was appealing, Hooper told The Daily Telegraph:

“I love playing rugby in Australia. It is such a great place to play rugby.

“There is a great talent pool and we have a lot of players coming up who are hungry to win, and that’s something that is exciting.

“Next week is in my head at the moment.

“You can’t get caught up in looking too far down the track. You have to focus on the here and now. That’s where my head is at.

“These things take time (to finalise). There are a lot of things going on, as you can imagine. Whenever that time arrives, so be it.”