Hooker Boots

Squashed between two brutes in the front row, the role of a hooker is a fine balance between finesse and physicality. While hooking the ball in the scrum and accurately throwing to the lineout are delicate skills honed through years of repetition, the player in the Number 2 jersey must also possess the courage to engage in the collision area of the scrum and is expected to make a big impact at rucks and mauls.

Best Boots For A Hooker

Adidas Kakari Z.0 SG

Just like a hooker, the Kakari Z.0 balances finesse and toughness with its outer synthetic leather overlay and pliable textile mesh base upper. The Kakari Z.0 ensures the foot is well protected while allowing the wearer to still have a great sense of mobility.

Canterbury Stampede 3.0

Canterbury itself acknowledges that front-rowers need to be more mobile and agile around the park, whilst being stronger than ever in the scrum. Stampede 3.0 is a perfect blend of power and agility with its abrasive-resistant leather forefoot and PU midfoot, shock attenuating attributes for lower limb stress reduction, and eight 13mm Power studs that simply bite on the pitch even at the most extreme wet conditions.

Gilbert Kaizen X 2.1 Power

This boot provides an alternative to leather boots as it has a light microfibre upper, bringing on a different level of comfortable sensation. The Kaizen X 2.1 Power is supported on the inside by a PRO-GIL footbed for cushioning and on the outside by the Bio-frame 8 stud outsole for excellent traction even in wet conditions.

Puma King Hero H8

A low boot silhouette makes up for the profile of the Puma King Hero H8, making you feel that your foot is closer to the ground. Its luxe synthetic leather upper is hardened with stitchings and is ideal for those looking for the traditional feel of leather in their forward grind.

The Hooker is a key team member and said to be one of the spines of the team, with 15, 10, 9 and 8 the others. The Hooker is the ideal choice to be the coordinator at the scrum and line-out. He can play a similar role to the flanker at the lineout as he is usually the player throwing in on his throw and in the channel at the front of the line on opposition ball.

The Hooker as the name implies is the prime guy for connecting with the ball as it is put in at the scrum and his role is to trap the ball and heel it back so it can come out and back into play. The hooker has to be agile, flexible and strong enough to take the forces exerted during the push in the scrum.

The modern-day hooker is considered a fourth loose-forward – more mobile than his two buddies in the front row yet still able to mix it up with the big boys. Hookers look for a boot which provides support and traction, but which is light enough to allow them to manoeuvre around the paddock in much the same fashion as the flankers. It needs to be a strong boot to withstand the massive forces of the scrum whilst giving the support for fast feet and quick changes of direction.