Time is ticking for Quade Cooper
The famed writer of the Peanuts cartoon series Charles Schulz is quoted as saying, “There is no greater burden than great potential.” In context to Australian Rugby Quade Cooper is the player who endures such.
Despite his exhilarating return to first class rugby and call up to the Wallabies training group, Melbourne Rebels flyhalf Quade Cooper remains the most renowned international player in the game yet to realise his full potential and time is running out for the 30-year-old.
With Rugby World Cups being played every four years, the completion of each tournament tends to be the staging point of refreshment for both coaching and playing stocks alike for many Unions and even the most ardent of Cooper’s supporters would have to concede that Cooper would have little chance of playing in the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France as a 34-year-old.
Now is his time. If there were ever to be a golden international era of Quade Cooper it must be now as time catches up with all, even the greats, of which Quade Cooper is not despite having the potential to be.
As it stands Quade Cooper’s international career remains disappointing to be frank. Seldom have I seen a player who can orchestrate an attack like him yet also fail to truly deliver on what god given talent he has.
When I think of the great flyhalves of Australian Rugby Quade Cooper simply is not in the conversation.
Cooper has not delivered success to Australia as the great Mark Ella did in 1984 scoring a try in every test in the now legendary Grand Slam Tour of Britain and Ireland.
Nor is he of the calibre of the late Phil Hawthorne who was instrumental on the 1963 Tour of South Africa where the unheralded Wallabies managed to draw the four-test series 2-2 against a great South African side.
And we should never forget the deeds of Paul McLean who guided Australia when they defeated the magnificent Welsh side of 1978 in a two-test series. Additionally, Cooper simply does not have the World Cups or Bledisloe Cups that Michael Lynagh and Stephen Larkham rightfully have a claim on.
The great disappointment has been that Quade Cooper has shown the rugby world he is capable of playing rugby that even the Ella’s, Lynagh’s and Larkham’s did not have in their repertoire. I never saw or heard of any of the Wallaby greats be able to pass and operate within the confines Cooper often finds himself in, jinking, weaving and passing from angles that appear to be a near mathematical impossibility yet he has mesmerized the rugby public with such displays.
Quade Cooper is the most gifted attacking player to wear the 10 guernsey for Australia yet also one of the greatest disappointments to date relative to his potential.
He has played alongside the likes of David Pocock, Will Genia, James Horwill, Dan Vickermann Stephen Moore, Kurtley Beale and Israel Folau. Superb players all. There is no credible argument that Cooper has played in an era where he did not have a supporting cast to facilitate his gifted game.
Furthermore, Cooper has had the benefit of some of the better coaches in the game, in particular, Robbie Deans and Ewen McKenzie with the latter being a coach who appeared to truly grasp what Cooper could do on a rugby park and harness that potential to achieve results.
Few seem to recall that in 2013 under McKenzie and with Cooper at 10, the Wallabies came perilously close to winning a Grand Slam, something that only one other Australian side has ever achieved. Dubious officiating against the English at Twickenham had its part to play in the loss that prevented the Slam being attained but what was evident is that Quade Cooper was starting to deliver on his potential consistently.
2013 was Cooper’s greatest year in Wallaby gold thus far, in particular, his performance against the Irish at Lansdowne Road where he simply left the hosts guessing at his next move. The directness of his attack toward the line coupled with the variation of both long and short passing to support runners was the moment he truly arrived as an international flyhalf.
Whilst it would be one for the famed host of hypothesis forums Geoffrey Robertson, one of the most provocative hypothetical rugby questions in Australian rugby circles is, if Ewen McKenzie had not resigned as Wallabies coach, how successful could have Quade Cooper been as a Wallabies fly half? I suggest the trajectory he was on under the McKenzie eye was one that could have elevated him into much higher esteem than he currently enjoys.
Quade Cooper’s international rugby career is at a juncture where it is unclear if his best international rugby being behind him or does it remain slightly ahead? Whilst the clarity of that situation will become apparent later in 2019 as Cooper’s Super Rugby form is deserving of his recall to the Wallaby ranks. He is again the premiere flyhalf in Australian rugby and is playing the style of rugby not seen since 2013.
The issue I struggle with is that Quade Cooper has proven endlessly he knows how to win Super Rugby matches, but despite earning 70 Wallaby caps with a success rate of just over 60% he has never guided Australia to a significant series victory. With respect to the 2011 Tri-Nations, that was a truncated version of that tournament and despite a wonderful win against the All Blacks in Brisbane in 2011, it is not Grand Slam, Bledisloe or World Cup.
The obvious question is that if Quade Cooper becomes the Wallabies flyhalf of choice for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, are Michael Cheika and his cohorts brave enough to allow Cooper the latitude that he enjoyed under Ewen McKenzie and appears to have under Rebels Coach Dave Wessels?
Another reality is that if he is selected for the Wallabies but not given the latitude as he may not have had under Robbie Deans, is Quade Cooper now a mature enough player to play to the system the coach and team require?
In any event, the true challenge for Quade Cooper in 2019 is he must find a definitive way to deliver on his rugby ability as his rugby legacy presently is one of unfulfilled potential. If he does not, the best he may hope for, akin to Charlie Brown of Peanuts fame, is for people to politely say when asked about his international rugby career, “You’re a good man Quade Cooper.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Dear Ben Smith you are a genius! God please become the next all blacks coach that can take on the mighty BOKS. Your rugby acumen is second to none - imagine your dads sperm bounced as unfortunately as that oval ball did….we would not be blessed with your presence. Just as the all blacks were missing a man you too are missing a chromosome for 80% of your life, so your insights are not only profound but ring true from your own experiences. Just as the TMO interfered with citing an illegal pass I am sure your local authorities interfere with your illegal passes you make on women - How dare they!!! God forbid that rugby be officiated fairly. You are the right man for the job. Next all blacks coach is here ladies and gentlemen Miss Ben Smith (He/She/They/IT)
218 Go to commentsHuge engine this guy and great to see him back ..The amount of clean outs he does at the ruck are ridiculous !!
3 Go to commentsThe level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
218 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
8 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
44 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
15 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
44 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to commentsThe Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
3 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
7 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
218 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
7 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
7 Go to commentsWhat a weak article…absolute drivel and clickbait, well done. Will stick to rugby365 thanks
7 Go to commentsHonest, discipline, humility… Priceless.
2 Go to commentsSo many excuses. No mention of the SA number 2 being taken out illegally in the 2nd minute. That act of foul play had a massive impact on the SA game. Face it, NZ play pretty dirty very regularly, and it’s only since 2016 they’ve been held to higher officiating standards via stricter officiating and TMO reviews. They deserved to have a man down. Sorry. Fix the yellow and red cards and NZ will win more RWCs. Plus, there WAS a knock on invalidating the one try, so it was NOT a try. Period. Here’s a Kleenex…
218 Go to commentsOverheard conversation between NZ and SA rugby fans everywhere: We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! We’re the greatest! No we’re the greatest! Ireland are arrogant! True but they beat you! We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! Etc. etc, etc.
44 Go to commentsTypical crap Aussie weather
11 Go to comments“If they’d have beaten England, I still feel we would have been talking ‘is this the best team ever,’ ‘is this the best team that’s ever played in the Six Nations'” he said. “I still think they’re not quite that good. I actually don’t think they’re that good.” So Trimble is saying he doesn’t think this is the best 6N team of all time. He is silent on if it is the best Irish team of all time. Can’t disagree with him. Just another misrepresentative clickbait headline from the guys at RP.
44 Go to comments