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Quade Cooper thrown Rugby World Cup lifeline by Cheika's Wallabies

By Online Editors
Quade Cooper with the Wallabies in 2017. (Photos/Getty Images)

New Melbourne Rebels recruit Quade Cooper has been thrown a Wallaby World Cup lifeline, receiving an invite to attend a Wallabies camp in Sydney over the weekend.

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Cooper’s inclusion at the conditioning camp was denied by a Wallabies spokesperson however The Australian reports he was in attendance.

“The most eye-catching selection was that of five-eighth Quade Cooper who has made a significant impression since moving to the Melbourne Rebels from Queensland,” they wrote.

Quade’s absence from the Wallabies stretches back to June 2017, where he last played a Bledisloe test against the All Blacks. He expressed a desire to one day return in the green and gold in an interview with rugby.com.au last year.

“Every player that is playing the game… whether that be Super Rugby, grass roots, you’re at school, the ambition is to represent your country,” he said.

“I have been fortunate enough to do that 70 plus times so I wouldn’t be playing the game if I didn’t want to be the best that I could be.

“Whether that eventuates down the track… who knows.

With the 30-year-old flyhalf joining the Melbourne Rebels on a one-year contract, a return to Super Rugby is imminent which will allow Cooper to put a case forward for inclusion in Michael Cheika’s World Cup squad. With invites to Wallabies camps already calling, a Wallaby re-call may come sooner than that.

Speaking ahead of the season with his old Reds halves partner Will Genia, Cooper said he is looking forward to creating some new memories with his halfback.

“I guess for me it’s that we had some great memories together,” Cooper told rugby.com.au.

“It’s not about remembering the past or anything but just more so getting the opportunity to create some new memories.

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“We’re both hit our 30s now, so the memories that we’re able to create in our younger days, they’re some special memories and no one can ever take those away but being able to get the opportunity again to create some new memories I’m really excited about that opportunity. “

“When you build a relationship and a mutual respect for someone, it’s a hard thing to lose,” Cooper said.

“This guy next to me has had some great success throughout his career and I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of a lot of that and also some of it I haven’t been a part of.

Genia is also relishing the chance to play with Cooper again, having been highly influential for the Reds for a number of years and piloting the club to their first Super Rugby title in 2011.

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“We both see the game in a very similar way and respect the way we see the game but also there’s trust.”

“There’s plenty of times we played together where we’ve had huge blowups on the field and then you just have a laugh about it afterwards because I know he genuinely wants what’s best for me and for the team and likewise I want what’s best for the team,” he continues.

“It’s all just built around success and from my perspective a genuine great admiration for the way he plays the game and the way he sees it and then through that just a desire to want to play with him.”

Genia

“I want to win. My desire to win and be competitive and win it all has never changed and it’s a really good group of people,” he said.

“Everyone wants to work hard, everyone’s on the same page, there’s no ego, no pork chops or people who carry on not just the playing group but the organisation.

“That’s really conducive to creating a winning environment. Enjoy myself, be happy and continue to grow as a player and a person.”

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Bull Shark 50 minutes ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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