Dave Rennie has confirmed that Michael Hooper will not return to the Wallabies squad for the remainder of the Rugby Championship.

Hooper withdrew from the squad before the campaign opener in Argentina due to “personal reasons”, with prop James Slipper taking over as Wallabies captain.

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During a media conference on Thursday, Wallabies coach Rennie said that while Hooper is improving, he does not expect the loose forward to return before the end of the Rugby Championship.

“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 Australian reporters.

“We’ll make decisions beyond that, but certainly not looking to rush him in. But he’s certainly on the improve.”

Rennie said that he is wary of a heavily changed Springbok outfit that will challenge his unchanged Wallabies side when the two teams meet again in Sydney on Saturday.

“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.”

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Photo: Hooper during training EPA/DAVE HUNT