Why Quade Cooper is the man to take down the All Blacks, not Carter

By the end of Saturday night’s thrilling Test between the Wallabies and Pumas in Sydney, legendary coach Eddie Jones had “probably ruined three radios.” The frustration of another loss was felt throughout the stadium.

The Wallabies had fallen to their second loss in as many starts under coach Jones, and with just three more matches before the World Cup, it might already be time to panic.

But Jones was doing no such thing as he walked into the post-match press conference with a charismatic grin on his face. The 63-year-old sat down and said, “Alright, who’d like to start?”

Eddie was in control.

Jones didn’t make a single excuse for the Wallabies’ 31-34 loss to Los Pumas during the next 14 minutes. What happened, had happened – there was no changing that.

But Jones, who was of course heartbroken and disappointed along with his players, was surprisingly confident ahead of a date with the All Blacks in Melbourne.

New Zealand had beaten fierce rivals South Africa 35-20 in Auckland earlier that night. It was one of their best performances under current coach Ian Foster.

Australia and New Zealand appear to be on two very different rugby trajectories at the moment, but Jones still warned the All Blacks to “look out” ahead of Bledisloe I at the MCG.

Jones is full of confidence.

Changes will be made, I’m sure, but there’s one player who needs to hold his place in the starting side.

That player is Quade Cooper.

Cooper has come under fire following two disappointing individual performances in the famous gold jersey. After returning to the national setup, the veteran has failed to make his mark.

“The Wallabies will look at the Bledisloe Cup and see they can completely turn their season around in one game,” former All Black Jeff Wilson said on Sky Sport’s The Breakdown.

“Eddie will know that they’ll still find a way to get confidence even though they’ve lost two games.

“I still can’t understand why is Quade Cooper running this team because he’s not delivering.

“We know he doesn’t deliver against the All Blacks. How can he be wearing the No. 10 jersey in two weeks’ time? Seriously?”

In American sports, no one position is more important to a team’s success than the quarterback in the NFL.

Retired great Tom Brady, Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, and Philly Eagles QB Jalen Hurts were some of the most talked about players in the NFL last year for good reason.

The performances of all three players week-to-week dictated how the team went during the gruelling campaign. Brady struggled, and so did Tampa Bay. As for the other two, both Mahomes and Hurts were competing for MVP honours.

In rugby union, the flyhalf is the quarterback. If the playmaker struggles to make an impact or goes missing for long periods, then success will prove hard to come by.

Just look at Quade Cooper and the Wallabies.

Over the last couple of weeks, Cooper has been a shadow of his former self in the No. 10 jersey. Given the keys to the Wallabies’ attack, the 35-year-old has only registered a single try assist.

But keep in mind, the injury to Len Ikitau forced a tough backline reshuffle against Argentina. Cooper remained at 10, while Carter Gordon was brought on at inside centre – and paired up alongside world-class midfielder Samu Kerevi.

On paper, the three players bring an exciting mix of talent, youth and experience to the table. But rugby isn’t played on paper.

The entire struggled to develop some consistency – but more on that later.

Meanwhile – and if you buy into the idea that new is always better, then keep reading – rising star Carter Gordon has been a shining light for the Aussies off the bench.

Gordon scored on debut against the Springboks in Pretoria, and the 22-year-old almost crossed for another against Los Pumas on Saturday. The kid can play, and Wallabies fans know it.

If Gordon is a shiny new Ferrari, then Cooper has taken the form of a Toyota Camry. Australian rugby fans want Eddie Jones to take the sports car out for a spin in Bledisloe I.

But slow down.

The Wallabies have bought into the idea that ‘new is always better’ before, and it’s gone horribly wrong. Unfortunately, at least at the moment, there’s no better example than Noah Lolesio.

At just 20 years of age, Lolesio was thrust into the Test arena against the All Blacks in Sydney. The flyhalf did an admirable job for a while but ran out of fuel far too soon.

Over the course of a few years, Lolesio – who was once loved like a shiny new sports car, much like Gordon – began to fade away.

Lolesio was recently omitted from both Jones’ Wallabies squad and the Australian A side. The playmaker has also opted to sign a ‘joker’ deal with French heavyweights Toulon during the World Cup.

The moral of that story is that new is not always better – at least not in rugby. Young playmakers need to be given an opportunity to ease their way into the international game, and can’t be given the attacking reins right away.

Gordon also made some poor defensive reads against Argentina which led to some significant linebreaks. Off the top of my head, there were at least two or three instances where things didn’t go to plan in defence.

But his highlight reel, which consists of a big tackle and nearly a breathtaking try against Los Pumas, wouldn’t show that. As rugby fans, don’t get lost in the glimmer of the Ferrari.

Gordon still has plenty to learn – of course he does, the playmaker has only played two Tests – but that hasn’t stopped some rugby fans from calling for the young star’s selection in the 10 jersey.

So, with Bledisloe I rapidly approaching, and of course the World Cup nigh on the horizon, Jones has a big decision to make: Cooper or Gordon.

The old or new.

This decision could potentially define their World Cup campaign.

While the temptation might be there to hand Gordon his first start as a Wallaby, this could spell disaster in the long run. Carter Gordon has a bright future in the No. 10 jersey for the Wallabies, but that shouldn’t start today.

As for Cooper, the flyhalf needs to perform at a Wallaby level – a new standard must be set. But experience is invaluable.

Continue to doubt Cooper if you must, but the Super Rugby champion has shown time and time again that he can perform on the biggest stage. Remember, he only just came back from a fairly significant injury.

The Wallabies’ best chance of winning back the Bledisloe is by starting Cooper.

Eddie, keep the Ferrari in the garage – at least for now.