Imagine a riddle without a solution. Imagine a Gordian Knot which cannot be unravelled. Now apply it to rugby, and the image which starts to form in your mind’s eye may be that of ex-Wallaby 10 Quade Cooper. ‘Enigma’ does not even begin to cover the unfathomable up and downs of the Queensland magician’s career.
Right now, broadcasters covering the forthcoming British and Irish Lions visit to Australia would be well advised to snap Cooper up as their primary pundit. Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies could even hire him as a mentor or assistant coach, if his preview of the tour in a recent NewsCorp column is a reliable guide to the range and depth of his insights.
Cooper has some skin in the game as far as Lions tours go. Roll the clock back to their last visit in 2013, and he was by some distance the most creative and accomplished fly-half in Australia at the time. But he could still not crack Kiwi head coach Robbie Deans’ squad for the Test series.
Yes, he had called the Wallaby culture under Deans ‘toxic’ the previous season, and that hardly helped his cause. But of the two pivots preferred to him, one [Kurtley Beale] was in a treatment centre in Sydney after two alcohol-related incidents, while James O’Connor had missed all of Australia’s 14 Tests in 2012 because of injury. Together the trio comprised ‘the three amigos’, Australia’s youthful terrible trifecta. As O’Connor had also spent the bulk of his rugby life at full-back or on the wing rather than in the halves, it was well-nigh impossible to tell where dysfunction started and ended in the Australian rugby team.
Cooper was always very much his own man, and it cost him what should rightfully have been some of the highlight moments in his career, notably on that 2013 Lions tour and three World Cups in 2015, 2019 and 2023. Where his own coaches all too often wavered and had doubts about his value, prospective opponents had none whatsoever. They were relieved to see the back of him. Andy Farrell is leading the 2025 tourists to Aussie and was Warren Gatland’s defensive assistant 12 years earlier.
“If I was a [Wallaby] coach, I would want him in my side,” Farrell said back then. “He is a handful. I don’t know the ins and outs of why he hasn’t been selected but he brings lots to the party. I’m pretty pleased.”
Other luminaries such as Eddie Jones, who ironically dropped Cooper for the 2023 World Cup, derided the decision to leave out “the most assertive number 10 in the Australian Super Rugby teams” thus: “Quade is by far the best stand-off in Australia. He’s played 80 minutes of every Super Rugby game, he’s got a kicking game, he’s got a running game, he’s got the game that can really trouble the Lions so it’s very disappointing to see him not in the squad.”
On-field or off-field, Cooper’s rugby IQ is still as lively as ever, and he recently turned the high-beam on to the topic of Wallaby number 10 selection for the upcoming series. His first recommendation was to pick his old team-mate O’Connor in the squad, as a counterpoint to the younger breed of 10s around him.
“This isn’t just about picking names; it’s about building a squad with strategic depth and, more critically, forging a long-lost identity,” Cooper wrote.
“Noah Lolesio, Ben Donaldson and Tom Lynagh are all quality players. The challenge isn’t about their ability, it’s about their similarity.
“They’re all cut from a very similar cloth: smart, skilled, steady. But in a high-stakes series like this, where unpredictability and adaptability are key, you need variety. You need contrast.
“That’s where someone like [James] O’Connor becomes critical.
“His experience, creativity, and ability to see the game from a different angle adds something this group doesn’t yet have.”
Teams from the north tend to be viewed as rigid and conservative in their outlook, but on this occasion in their illustrious history, the Lions will offer more variety and creativity in the pivotal playmaking role than the home side -and that in turn creates more problems for the opposition.
It will certainly be a whole lot different to South Africa four years ago, when the most creative solution [Scotland’s Finn Russell] was not picked until the final game of the series. Cooper did not even get around to talking about England incumbent Fin Smith and veteran George Ford in his synopsis.
“You build [a winning squad] by creating a mix – by bringing different skill sets, mindsets, and backgrounds into the same space.
“The Lions 10s offer real diversity: Marcus Smith is super agile and creative. Finn Russell is very creative and has unique kicking skills. And if they bring Owen Farrell in at some stage during the tour, he is a very physical fly-half who will put a shoulder very aggressively into you.
“These guys are very different. If everyone in the squad learns from the same book, you’re going to get the same answer when faced with complex challenges.
“[O’Connor] is in a mentoring role. He’s there to learn, to guide, support and compete. His experience in a different system, combined with his competitive drive to push those guys makes him a vital voice – one who can play devil’s advocate a little bit, and challenge conventional thinking.
“You’ll have three different minds to be able to put heads together and think, ‘okay, how can we break down their defence?’ That’s the key.”
If you’re seeing a little bit of 12-year-old history dredged and brought up to date, and a few wounds reopened in these comments, you would probably be right. Perhaps Quade really is seeing a contemporary version of himself in O’Connor, stirring the pot and playing devil’s advocate in the strategic cook-up. But he is also right to question unform thinking, not least among coaches.
Coaches are no different to players, they need to be constantly challenged to accommodate the diversity of talent at their disposal. Systems need to bend to the breaking point and beyond, to accomplish that aim. There is no excuse to stop thinking outside the box.
The rehearsal, and potential improvement of 2013 only strengthened when Quade turned the spotlight on the presence of Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i. Twelve years ago, Australia were contemplating Israel Folau as their shiny new toy, similar in physique and skill levels to the ex-Sydney Rooster. The question is now as it was then, where to deploy the undoubted talent?
“I believe Sua’ali’i can be a generational talent, and the challenge for playmakers is to unlock him and his abilities. While many might eye him for full-back, I’d suggest Sua’ali’i at wing, or as a back-up at inside centre.
“His skills in the air will make it a nightmare for opposition to mark him on cross-field kicks, and he is a proven finisher. But placing that kind of power and dynamism at 12 immediately creates a defensive headache for the opposition.”
The tactical backdrop to Cooper’s main suggestion of fielding Sua’ali’i on the [right] wing is a big improvement in Wright’s kicking game. Even in defeat in the Super Rugby semi-final against the Chiefs, Wright found a way to showcase the range and power of his kicking game – especially after Lolesio departed due to injury in only the tenth minute.
Like the Chiefs, Farrell’s Lions will kick ‘long and on’ – they will tend to keep the ball infield rather than kick it out, so there is every chance some some long tactical kicking duels will develop in the course of the series. In the two clips above, Wright is controlling the play off the boot in opposition to Shaun Stevenson and Damian McKenzie, and via three very different types of kick: first a short attacking grubber off the left foot which pins the Chiefs backfield deep in its own corner, followed by a near-perfect cross-kick off the right to create a scoring opportunity for Andy Muirhead; finally, a superbly measured diagonal from inside his own half which results in a 50/22 lineout turnover for the Brumbies, who went on to score on the very next sequence of play.
When you have a full-back who can see the field and kick the ball that well, it is much easier to opt for a ‘Steady Eddie’ fly-half because you know he will enjoy excellent support from 15. That kind of tactical nous and the variety of execution is beyond Sua’ali’i at the infant stage of his professional rugby career, so he should be earmarked for either right wing or second five-eighth as Cooper suggests, where his raw running power and elusiveness could be used to achieve 2013 outcomes like this.
Wright’s ability to outkick the Chiefs backfield was a besetting problem for McKenzie and co throughout the game.
When the Chiefs try to gain ground on the runback in the first clip they are turned over at the ensuing breakdown, in the second McKenzie is forced to accept the necessity of a touch kick and offer the Brumbies an attacking lineout position on the home 40m line. Now mix that kicking game with Wright’s finely tuned judgement on the counter and you have the Test-worthy full-back you need.
Whether Schmidt chooses to renew the blend he had last November, with Sua’ali’i’s Sonny Bill Williams-like offloading prowess paired with Len Ikitau’s defensive skill in the centres, or pick the New South Wales rookie as his attacking trump on the right wing, Australia will need to squeeze every last drop of juice out of the talent at its disposal to keep up with the Lions. There will be no place for timid or prescriptive selection meetings – the more fire and brimstone and friction between different minds, the better. It is hard indeed to cover off every base if you all think, or play along the same lines.
Australia needs an O’Connor, a Sua’ali’i or a Wright to challenge the status quo – just as it needed more, rather than less of Cooper back in the day. Boldness, the pioneering spirit and a diversity of opinion is after all, at the core of the Australian Way.
According to the man himself, the Wallabies no longer produce the quality playmakers of yesteryear and have lost their way.
“The core problem is coaches change every freaking two years,” Cooper said. “This isn’t just disruptive – it’s crippling. Australia has been unable to cultivate a distinct style of play because they’re trying to get the best coach that’s out there right now, rather than adhering to a foundational Australian identity. Australian play over the last 15 years has had no identity.”
Australian rugby was never happy letting the riddle simply be itself, so it never saw the best of Cooper. But if you cannot pick a Quade, read his thoughts. They are worth the admission price alone.
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I also think that the lack of layers in the Australian system and the short season length also contributes to our lack of player development. All of the “three amigos” were in the Australian side from a very early age. We have Super Rugby but it is only 15 weeks long now (if you don’t make the finals - which our sides don’t typically do). And we only have 4 - 5 teams so, for 10s, there is only 1 or 2 spots up for grabs and one player is going to get most of the time. I imagine, in Europe where you have a longer season and then European Championship and then, in France, also a professional division below, a player of ability will get more than 15 games at the top level. There are tiers to progress through etc. The current 10 for France, on the All Blacks tour, has had 120 Top 14 games - we are putting blokes into a Wallabies squad after one or two good seasons (30 SR games at the most) and for others, like Sua’ali’i even sooner (but he did play at a high level in another code so he has had some time to develop).
We lack a tier or level, where players can develop that other comps have so that (1) they don’t need to be thrown in early (2) if they take a bit longer to develop there is a place for them to do it. You either have a place in one of the 4 (previously 5) sides or you go overseas, or you play at an amateur level. And also, you don’t have to push an older player out because, if you reach 24 or 25 and you haven’t made the Wallabies (or you aren’t a regular) then the prospect of playing OS is too financially enticing.
Quade has a lot of very supportive fans, and also, in Australia (and definitely in NZ), there are those that do not like him as a player. I do think his coaches were responsible for him not getting a run when he was at his peak, Cheika didn’t appear to be a fan, giving him only one pool game in the World Cup (or very few chances anyway) but I think Quade also must have had issues in fitting in with coaches (or certain types of coaches). I also think there was a long period of his career where he played injured and was off his best. And he sat out a full season of SR to play club rugby rather than leave Queensland, when he fell out of favour with Thorn. He didn’t seem to settle in at Toulon, or the Melbourne Rebels really either and then he went to Kintetsu where he was in a team that was either bottom of the top grade or top of the next grade down, where, I imagine, it is difficult to get a feel of a players value to the national team. There are two (or more) sides to everyone of those stories.
I was in the group that probably was never a fan. I can’t really say why. When I look back on his highlight reel, there were moments of sheer brilliance and he took the Reds to a Championship win against the Crusader. But I guess I always viewed him as high risk and I am not sure that, prior to 2021, we ever saw his best. We had Foley as a long term 10 under Cheika, and also Matt Toomua and Christian Leilafano. Quade Cooper was easily the most skilful of any of those, but whether or not his own judgement or his ability/willingness to follow the coaches/teams plan was ever at the level of some of those other players, I am not sure. In some way I see him as a Finn Russell type, who doesn’t always appear to get along with some coaches but I am not sure it is always the coaches fault. I think Quade had the confidence that, if he thought he was right he would not be deterred from following that and I imagine some coaches (and not just bad ones) struggle with that if they are seeing different pictures from where they are watching.
I think he makes some good points. I really don’t understand the reluctance to pick James O’Connor and I think he makes a good point about changing coaches. I agree that there is a sameness to each of the 10s we have at the moment.
However, if we are talking about the last decade, we did have Michael Cheika as the coach from late 2014 to 2019 - so that is half the decade. Since then we have had 3 coaches in 6 years.
I do understand the charge about having lost our playing identity and I think he is right that we have perhaps fallen for the trick of trying to jump on the latest trend or copying what has been successful elsewhere and hoping that it works for us. But I am not sure how he personally would go as a coach. I see a bit of a similarity to Gregor Townsend personality wise but that is just a guess - Gregor has done OK.
I hope Quade doesn’t become the David Campese of his generation and getting involved in coaching might be a way to avoid that. It is interesting that he has written these articles in the Australian as they have been a bit anti-Rugby in Australia after they missed out on the broadcast rights.
Cooper, I think, was one of the main reasons Australia — even with its brilliant players — just never quite got there. He demoralised what could have been world beaters with his opinions and his arrogant belief that he and the Wallabies were the unrealised potential they were yet to be. In truth, Australia were their own worst enemy — they built their team up to believe they were world beaters when they were at least a season away from being so. When they didn’t live up to their egos, they lost their bottle. For decades, they were all hype and no show, except on the odd day. I think they should have kept their players’ opinions out of the press — it only made things worse. The ARB was the problem too, responsible for the constant turnover of coaches — some of whom were great but never given time to settle. They demanded results that simply weren’t possible without patience. Also they did not focus on the real wallabies potential - junior grade and up rugby.
What a player he was. Could have played 120 test matches if we just kept picking him. Bloody Cheika even played Foley at 12 to whiteant him when he did manage to get Quade in at 10.
For all Deans’ quality as a coach, he was a lousy selector. Imagine not finding a way to get the best out of generational talent like Beale, JOC and Quade.
Thankfully he wasn’t at the Crusaders during Mo’unga’s time.
Yes I recall those miserable Foley-Cooper outings very well indeed DM…🤭
I read that James O’Connor has not been included in Schmidts first selection. That is a pity. But I saw Will Skelton on our TV News a couple of nights ago. He looked very relaxed….and very big ! Good to see he is in the picture.
I feel a sadness that Quade Cooper, Kurtley Beale and James O’Connor, three of the most talented rugby players produced in this country, all had flawed careers. Of the three it was Beale who had the greatest impact as a WB, one can argue. His part in the 2015 RWC was not insignificant.
O’Connor had that awful period where it was only the intervention of Sale, giving a lifeline, that saved his career. Quade Cooper I see as having two very different parts to his career. The first with Qld. where he was very maverick, often indisciplined. And then the end, where he came back a very wise and disciplined player and person. He should have been used in France in 2023.
O’Connor may not be done yet, nor I suppose even Beale. But for the latter one feels it would take a lot of injuries for him to feature against the Lions.
Thanks for the article, Nick. Not long to wait now till the Lions make landfall.
Yes you’d have to think Beale is the one with real prospects of actually putting on a gold jersey again, he’s looked really good, where as O’Connor has just done a job and been the real asset off the field they’d hoped and expected a vet like him to be.
Great post Miz. I have no stats to back this up, but I don't think that JOC has been particularly effective in the past few weeks.
I think whether Joe picks big Will to start the Tests will tell us a lot about where Aussie is as a rugby nation Miz.
I actually like the career trajectory of all three amigos. Sure hellraisers early on, but their journeys from that point on have been more interesting than the norm, esp JOC and Quade. Real poacher turned gamekeeper stories and I feel both still have a huge amount to contribute - one way or another.
That blotchiness on the canvas is what makes it real.
Haha I was so into this article until this. Wow, that is a bit of a downer. I was going to say that his side kick Sonny-Bill Williams also has some great insights. He wouldn’t be able to write a column but when he picks up on something ingame and shares what he’s seeing, you pay attention. I bet the two share a lot of thoughts, but hopefully selecting James is not one of them, you normally want your players to improve, but he would be a step back from that young version.
I don’t really agree with any other conclusions/insights shared in this article either. Should be a great series and rewarding to watch players like Wright and Jordan expand their craft to enhance their running game this year. Unfortunate for the Brumbies that Wrights play wasn’t enough to balance the loss of Noah’s.
Yes they lost a lot when Jack D came on, and they lost control of the kicking game esp. Brums aren’t deep enough to cover those losses in their squad.
The most exciting Australian 10 of the past 10 years was Carter Gordan and Eddie Jones absolutely wrecked him…Cooper is not wrong about the coaching issues in Australia
👍Ed
I was in Brisbane in 2011 and watched most reds matches live that year (sadly not the finals). Everytime QC touched the ball the entire stadium would sit forward and hold its breath, i’ve never seen anticipation like it at a rugby match. You wondered how he could one up his stunts from the week before, but without fail, he would do it. He kept up an amazing level of sustained excellence that year. He had his weaknesses, but most haters overplay them. They sound like they never saw him play live, or are perhaps ignorant. The McKenzie -Quade wallabies is a huge ‘what could have been’ imo. Anyway, I'm glad QC had a great moment on the big stage in 2021. Aus rugby owes him more credit - simply for the sheer entertainment he provided!
And that is exactly what you need when rugby’s audience is by all accounts dwindling. Sometimes coaches take themselves too seriously and lose that essential ‘fun’ element - it is just sport after all.
Fully agree!
Great article Nick. Australia clearly mismanaged generational talents in Quade and JOC. Regardless of how they behaved it is the coaches job to find a way to get the best out of them as players. Seems a missed opportunity not to have one of them involved in some capacity now.
Thanks for highlighting how well TW has developed. The fact he outkicked a Chiefs side should bode well for Aus.
The lions team for Argentina looks stacked. Less leinster and more power based me thinks?
I wouldn’t say he out kicked them, the Chiefs dished up plenty for him to deal with too and won that aspect of the contest. That was likely due to the unfortunate injury of Noah though.
I reckon both should be involved, JOC as a player/mentor and Quade as an assistant backs/skills coach. Won’t happen ofc but who wouldn’t want to tap into those top rugby intellects?
When QC was playing, I always supported the team he was playing for…even when he was playing against the Canes or the Abs which usually I support… Not in 2011, not when he came back with the Wallabies with Rennie… He was like King Carlos Spencer and even better
He was tip=top in 2021, and nobody will forget that last 50m GK to beat the Boks!
JOC has been left out of the squad for the Fiji match, which pretty much means he won't play in the Lions series, which is a mistake.
I feel like Robbie Deans lost trust in Quade Cooper after the 2011 World Cup, which was somewhat understandable after his performances against South Africa and New Zealand. By the time 2013 rolled around, he was the right choice to play flyhalf.
Yes I agree it is a mistake, because it was such a win-win from the outside. Literally nothing to lose with JOC as the #3 at outside-half!
Maybe it’s a Kiwi coaching thing?😉
Thanks Nick. I note that JOC has been left out of the squad vs Fiji. I wonder if he is being considered for the Lions and just discarded because the final is this weekend??
Given our lack of 12s I would guess it will be Joseph and Len in the centres. Tom, Kellaway and Harry Potter the back 3?
I don’t know, did Joe say anything at the presser? I suspect he would have been picked ahead of Donno if he had a shot.