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Bob Dwyer's recent comments about incumbent Wallabies No.7 Michael Hooper being the "No.5" openside flanker in Australian certainly rattled a few cages.

Wallabies captain Stephen Moore went to the defence of his Test deputy after they faced off in the Brumbies' 26-20 victory over the Waratahs in Sydney.

Asked to comment on Dwyer's claims that Hooper "had gone from being an absolutely outstanding player to what I think is a total non-event", Moore replied: "I felt for him and I don't think he deserves that. I know how much he puts his body on the line for the team, whatever team it is. He'll continue to do that and lead the team like he does. There's still a long way to go in the season."

But is there actually some truth to Dwyer's claims?

Is he, on current form, really the fifth best option behind David Pocock, Sean McMahon, Liam Gill and Matt Hodgson?

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Conversely, could Hooper simply be a victim of the high standards that saw him make his Super Rugby debut at 18, take a Test bow at 20 and then captain the Wallabies at just 22?

With the help of Opta Stats, ESPN analysed Hooper's Super Rugby numbers so far this season and compared them with his fellow Australian No.7s and those the Waratahs skipper delivered in 2015.

In attack there is no hiding from the fact that Hooper's work-rate has decreased this season, the Waratahs No.7 trailing all but David Pocock in terms of ball-carries.

This is significant because it has been the standout feature of his game, the speed built from time as a beach sprinter at Manly Beach having made him such a dynamic ball-carrier in midfield while he is also renowned as a fine support player. He continues to average more defenders beaten than all but Sean McMahon, but that number has decreased ever so slightly from last year.

The biggest margin, however, comes at the average metres per carry -- a stat that supports Dwyer's claims - with Hooper averaging just 28 per game compared with 40 in 2015.

This still puts him mid-table against the other Aussie 7s, but it is significantly down from last year and well short of Gill (46.2) and McMahon (40.6), who have been in excellent form in that department.

But did Dwyer consider the Waratahs' struggles as a team this season? The 2014 champions' handling has been extremely poor while they've had few chances to lay a platform from set-piece, particularly the scrum.

Defensively, Hooper's average tackles per game have decreased by just 0.5 per game but he still trails only Force skipper Hodgson this season. His success rate is down a little to 85 percent, but while he may slipped there is returning in terms of turnovers won.

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Hooper is averaging 1.3 turnovers a game this season compared with 0.7 in 2015. This again puts him mid-table behind Pocock and Hodgson, two of the all-time greats for this stat in Super Rugby, so very little criticism can be made there. Hooper is also giving away fewer penalties than last year.

All in all, it looks as though Dwyer's comments may have been a bit extreme, as Hooper sits mid-range across most key categories; his form may be down a little on last year but it hardly warrants the "non-event" description.

Will Hooper be overlooked to face in England in June?

Unlikely.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is a huge Hooper fan, and the man behind the idea to play both his former Waratahs charge and Pocock together in the same back-row at Test level.

Playing twin No. 7s had previously been considered sheer madness, yet it nearly won the Wallabies the World Cup and the tactic certainly will form a huge part of England coach Eddie Jones' pre-tour planning.

McMahon, Gill and even Hodgson certainly have selection claims, but you should expect to see Hooper wearing the gold No.7 jersey in Brisbane in two months' time.