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The rebirth of Cooper is what Wallabies needed but it won't erase the past
The pride of Tokoroa is back.
Maybe now, after piloting the Wallabies to an upset victory over the Springboks, they will fast-track that Australian citizenship for Quade Cooper, hitherto that mercurial No 10.
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In his first test match in four years, he kicked eight from eight off the tee and didn’t make a mistake all night. It seems like, at the age of 33, he has found the maturity to his rugby that Robbie Deans and Brad Thorn could not see.
Funnily enough, I’m in agreement with Sonny Bill Williams. Dave Rennie should have taken the gamble and reintroduced him against the All Blacks in either Bledisloe II or III.
Noah Lolesio kicked like a metronome against France in July but he was badly astray off the tee in the first Auckland Bledisloe and just looked like a rookie provincial player in Perth. He may be the future but international rugby is about the results of the here and now.
Cooper would not have won the Bledisloe but he would have likely, despite his ragged history against the All Blacks, given the side much-needed guidance and execution around their option-taking.
James O’Connor, of course, would have been the man to drive the Wallabies around the park were it not or injury. He too, like Cooper, is another mercurial talent who just looks calm and at peace with himself now. O’Connor appeals as the man to lead the Wallabies to Rugby World Cup 2023.
It was fascinating to watch Cooper closely on Sunday night. He was so at ease that he did a TV interview 30 minutes before kickoff. He did not overplay his hand during the match. We know he still passes well of either hand and he flicked a pressure ball to Samu Kerevi which set in chain the Wallabies’ sole try.
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Naturally he is not going to be making searing breaks with his dazzling footwork as he did a decade ago. But he took the ball to the line and gave the ball at the right time. However, his tactical kicking was not flash. There was, it must be said, altogether too much kicking from both teams.
But who would have picked that Australia would win the test on goal kicking, having conceded three tries to one? Granted, the Boks did score their trio of tries in time-honoured fashion, but they also missed four shots at goal, centre Lukhanyo Am somehow bombed a try when over the line and they never really settled against a committed Wallaby pack.
This could be partially attributable to two weeks in quarantine, but the Boks have never really respected the Wallabies, not like they do the All Blacks.
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Speaking of respect, Cooper has always struggled for universal, or even partial, admiration from rugby people in his homeland. With some justification.
It was put to me years ago by a senior Kiwi rugby journalist that Cooper was a once in a generation player. Nonsense. Dan Carter is a once in a generation player. Cooper was a very talented Super Rugby player who occasionally shone in the international game. He rarely, if ever, marked up against the All Blacks in 12 outings.
Hell, Carlos Spencer, who played half as many tests, was a better international footballer than Cooper. But Spencer, too, endured some tough moments at the top and will never be tagged a great All Black.
You don’t get feisty with Richie McCaw and expect respect from the New Zealand public unless you can back it up on the field. That’s why Kiwis don’t care that Martin Johnson woodened Justin Marshall in 1997. Johnno earned respect for his play and leadership under pressure and against the All Blacks.
Cooper, for all his bravado, never played well against the All Blacks. It wasn’t just his flighty defence. It was a lack of mental toughness. Erase those games from his CV and he would rate as a fine international. But, alas, we cannot.
Cooper himself won’t care what we think. He admits that footy is now just “a small part of my life.”
The good news is that the Wallabies do not play the All Blacks again this year. So Cooper has the opportunity to shine again, outside Tate McDermott and inside Samu Kerevi.
This is his rebirth. He has shown his mettle and good on him. But he will not suddenly go down as a Wallaby great, fit to rank alongside messrs Ella. Larkham and Lynagh, on one cool-headed display.
Comments on RugbyPass
Jake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
9 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
9 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
34 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
34 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
9 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
34 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
9 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
9 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
11 Go to comments