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'NZ Rugby approached me': How close Cooper came to stunning move across the ditch

By Finn Morton
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The unforgiving rivalry between the Wallabies and All Blacks reached its boiling point in the early 2010s, as flyhalf Quade Cooper became the villain that New Zealanders loved to hate.

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Cooper was one of the most exciting rugby players in the world at that time; the star first-five was a human highlight reel during his time with the Queensland Reds and Wallabies.

But some Kiwis considered the Auckland-born talent to be a traitor, as he pursued excellence and success in Wallaby gold.

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During his first campaign as the Wallabies’ starting choice in the No. 10 jersey, Cooper had kicked-off his feud was legendary captain Richie McCaw in Hong Kong.

However, the rising star became enemy No. 1 after doing the unthinkable the following year.

Just a few months out from the start of the Rugby World Cup, Cooper appeared to knee McCaw in the head during a test match in Brisbane – which he admitted to years later.

This was unforgivable in the eyes of All Blacks supporters, and they made that clear to Cooper every time he played across the ditch.

But his career could’ve been very different. Potentially, Cooper could’ve become a fan favourite in New Zealand.

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Speaking on the latest episode of Bloke In A Bar, Cooper revealed how close he came to signing with New Zealand Rugby – and the surprising decision why he “didn’t want to leave Australia.”

“New Zealand Rugby approached me in 2009,” Cooper said. “There were a few NRL clubs but that like a decision period for me because I debuted for the Wallabies and stuff like this.

“Everything was falling together, NRL clubs and some New Zealand clubs… but with that, I just didn’t want to leave Australia.

“Everything that I had done coming through was with all the guys that I was now playing with at the Reds, now playing with at the Wallabies, like they were my mates.

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“I was always quite a shy person, so going into a new situation for me was like quite scary. It was quite daunting. I’d always avoid those sort of situations.

“Even social situations, going to a new school… even when I started at Churchie, I didn’t want to go to school because I didn’t want to have to try and find new friends or walk around at lunchtime on my own.

“I looked at going to rugby league at that young age, to rugby union in New Zealand. (But the) reason why I stayed was because I was comfortable where I was.

“Being uncomfortable is a way of growth but I ended up just staying here for those simple reasons.”

Had things gone a little bit differently for Cooper, the pivot could’ve been sidestepping his way to glory with the Blues or Chiefs.

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But of course, he went on to win a Super Rugby title with the Queensland Reds in 2011, and is back in the Wallabies fold ahead of this year’s World Cup.

And it’s worth noting as well, most New Zealanders would respect Cooper nowadays.

However, that was just one option for Cooper.

An opportunity to sign for rugby league club the Parramatta Eels almost proved too good to turn down, and he would’ve pen to paper had it not been for interference from the media.

“I had an epic year with the Reds, I love it. We were playing epic footy, I was starting for the Wallabies and everything, and the Eels came to me,” he added.

“I was down in Wallaby camp and they came and picked me up from my hotel to drive out to Parramatta to go have a look at the facility, and no one knew about it.

“What happened was I was like, ‘man no one can know about this, I don’t want anyone to find out because I’m in camp and we have a game.’

“The amount of money that was on offer, I’m like, ‘yeah I’m signing.’

“We get to the stadium to go look around the facilities and they show me where I’ll most likely live and everything like that.

“Then, as I’m about to get in the car, some journos come and I like s*** myself and I back out of it and I jump in the car.

“This was before that stuff was happening a lot… people in the community like that were celebrities rather than just athletes.

“This kind of made me feel I guess used in some ways, but also them trying to force my hand to make a decision which I’d already basically made the decision that I wanted to come.

“It was pretty much a done deal.”

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Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

37 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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