Wallabies great Michael Hooper has decided to lace up the boots once more, the former Test captain agreeing to a short-term stint with Japanese club Toyota Verblitz.
Hooper confirmed his return in an interview with Wide World of Sports, saying he had received a call from Rugby World Cup-winning coach and Toyota director of rugby Steve Hansen following an injury to Springboks star Pieter-Steph du Toit.
It means Hooper will rejoin the club he enjoyed a sabbatical with during the 2021 Japanese Top League season.
"It's a great club, really good people and competitive," Hooper told WWOS.
"There wasn't too many places I would have really been keen to play, and this was right up there because I had such a fond memory from being up there a few years back.
"Really lucky, to be honest, and thankful for Steve Hansen to give me an opportunity."
Hooper called time on his "Australian" playing career last year after he missed a spot in the men's sevens team for the Paris Olympics. Plagued by injury during his transition from 15s rugby, Hooper was overlooked for by coach John Manenti, the veteran admitting his "body did not cooperate as well as I would have liked".
But he had left the door ajar to a potential overseas return and will now get the chance to help turn around Toyota's faltering League One season, where he will play under another former All Blacks coach in Ian Foster.
Hooper will also link with former Sydney Roosters star Joey Manu.
Hooper's decision to play on has revived memories of another star Wallabies flanker George Smith's own comeback against the British & Irish Lions series after David Pocock was cut down by injury.
Ironically, Smith was selected in front of Hooper for the deciding third Test, which the Wallabies lost in a crushing 41-16 defeat.
But with Fraser McReight having established himself as the Wallabies first-choice No. 7 - and one of the world's premier opensides - dreams of a Smith-esque comeback to the Test arena for Hooper appear to be just that.
He could however feature in the combined Australia-New Zealand team that will face the Lions in Adelaide ahead of the first Test, a team which could also include former All Blacks stars Richie Mo'unga, Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara, and other Japan-based former Wallabies like Benard Foley, Rory Arnold and Sean McMahon.
For now, though, Hooper is solely focused on adding size and strength ahead of his Japanese return.
"When I finished up with sevens, it was very much a case of, 'OK, well, I'm needing a break'," Hooper added. "I don't know what it's going to look like. I don't know if that's taking the field again. If I don't take the field again, I'm OK with that.
"But there is still a little part of me that would like to see if I could mix it again. I'm just stoked. It's a bit of a Hail Mary that we didn't see coming. There [were] some discussions a while back but this has really developed in pretty much a week's time."