SYDNEY (Reuters) - Michael Hooper will captain his country for a record 60th time when he runs out for the Wallabies against the Springboks in Brisbane on Saturday, and he will do so with the ringing endorsement of his coach in his ears.

The openside flanker, still a month short of his 30th birthday, has led Australia in the test arena for most of the last decade, during which he has been almost an ever-present in the side.