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Calls grow for Quade Cooper to be granted Australian citizenship
Calls have grown for Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper to be granted Australian citizenship following his match-winning exploits against the Springboks over the weekend.
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In his first test for the Wallabies in four years on Sunday, Cooper stole the show as he guided his side around the park with aplomb and landed all eight of his kicks at goal, including the game-clincher in injury time, to help his side to a 28-26 win over the reigning world champions.
Cooper’s efforts in the shock result has not only drawn plenty of praise, but it has also renewed calls for the 33-year-old first-five to be granted Australian citizenship after he was denied a passport for his adopted nation earlier this year.
Much fanfare was made after the New Zealand-born pivot revealed in July that his latest application to become an Australian citizen had been denied by the country’s government.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, Cooper had not provided evidence that he is a “persons engaging in activities of benefit to Australia”, nor is he a “persons engaged in particular kinds of work requiring regular travel outside of Australia”.
At the time, Cooper described the decision, which was confirmed by ‘Shannon’, a Department of Home Affairs employee who penned Cooper’s rejection letter, as “awkward” on Twitter.
Cooper’s rejected application came in spite of the fact that he had lived in Australia since moving there from New Zealand as a 13-year-old, and that he had, at the time, played 70 tests for the Wallabies.
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That number has since risen to 71 after last night’s appearance against South Africa on the Gold Coast, and onlookers have since taken to Twitter in their hoards to call on the Australian Government to grant Cooper citizenship in the wake of his heroics.
An online petition has even been launched with the aim of getting Cooper an Australian passport, while numerous social media users have expressed an eagerness for Shannon and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to overturn their ruling.
Petition · Give Quade Cooper his citizenship. · https://t.co/lCfVs57UY2 https://t.co/dtWFfAiUuk
— Green and Gold Rugby (@GAGR) September 12, 2021
Makes total sense that I qualify for Australian citizenship but Quade Cooper doesn’t…?????
— Carly Adno (@CarlyAdno226) September 13, 2021
After last night, hopefully ScoMo or someone has moved Quade Cooper’s application for Australian citizenship right to the top of the pile – priority service, I reckon! ? #Wallabies #RSAvAUS
— Kitch ?? (@kitchtrips) September 12, 2021
Stick this in the Australian citizenship application!
Quade Cooper!!!#RSAvAUS #Wallabies #TRC2021 pic.twitter.com/tEvEAi1KH3
— EK Rugby Analysis (@ek_rugby) September 12, 2021
Quade Cooper should get Australian citizenship now.
— Simon Borchardt (@SimonBorchardt) September 12, 2021
Quade Cooper sang Advance Australia Fair. What more does the man have to do to get his Australian citizenship? #RSAvAUS
— Declan Keyes-Bevan (@deckeyesbevan) September 12, 2021
Wow. 8 out of 8 kicks for Quade Cooper on his return to the Wallabies. Maybe his Australian citizenship can be approved now? #AUSvRSA
— Karina Carvalho (@karina_carv) September 12, 2021
Happy for Quade Cooper.
Even happier if it changes the mind of whoever the wombat is that has denied him citizenship so far.— Adam Peacock (@adampeacock3) September 12, 2021
Man Quade Cooper’s interview post game, Fkn love this more mature Quade Cooper. He deserves his Citizenship ??? #RSAvAUS
— U4 (@PaulieMwayz) September 12, 2021
Someone get this man Quade Cooper his Australian citizenship #RSAvAUS
— Elijah Fa’afiu (@EliFaafiu3) September 12, 2021
Ok, I vote we give Quade Cooper citizenship. Who’s with me? #AUSvRSA
— Prof. Timothy Schmidt (@schmidtim) September 12, 2021
How is that person that denied Quade Cooper the citizenship feeling right now? #SSRugby
— #X (@nku6170) September 12, 2021
Does this mean Quade Cooper gets Australian citizenship now?
— Veronica Eggleton (@veggleton) September 12, 2021
I’m so happy for Quade Cooper.@ScottMorrisonMP GIVE HIM HIS CITIZENSHIP!!!!
— Thala Msutu (@ThalaMsutu77) September 12, 2021
In total, Cooper, who was born in Auckland and raised in Tokoroa before relocating to Brisbane as a teenager, has applied for Australian citizenship four times since 2015, all of which have been rejected.
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He has subsequently spent his career playing for the Wallabies while carrying a New Zealand passport, which cost him the chance to represent Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics as athletes can only represent countries of which they hold citizenship.
Despite his inability to compete at the Olympics, Cooper looks set to stay in the green and gold jersey after Wallabies boss Dave Rennie said there was no reason his star man can’t make it to the 2023 World Cup following his display against the Springboks.
Comments on RugbyPass
The Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to comments