Quade Cooper: Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde?
Roar Pro By Wally James, 29 Aug 2011 Wally James is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- All Blacks, Quade Cooper, Richie McCaw, Rugby Union, Tri Nations, wallabies
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Again we have seen the highs and lows of Quade Cooper. In general play, he had a solid game last night. He kicked well, both for goal and around the field. He led his backline around the field with aplomb.
But then he kneed Richie McCaw in the head. Cooper has been cleared, but here’s my view for what it is worth.
Cooper, either intentionally kneed McCaw or he acted with reckless disregard as to whether he kneed him or not. Regardless, McCaw was on the ground and unable to protect himself.
It was a low act not commensurate with Wallaby tradition.
Clearly, he has some problem with McCaw. At least once last night, they had each other around the throat.
You will recall Cooper shoved McCaw in the back of the head after a try was scored in the Hong Kong Test. That was also uncalled for. It seemed to me to indicate a meanness of spirit evidenced again last night.
What appears to me to complicate the matter for Cooper is his statement in the press conference after the game. He said that he did not remember the incident. That is a bit hard to swallow.
Thorne, maybe not unjustifiably, went for him immediately after. Did Cooper not remember that? Did he not feel his knee hit a face? Did no-one allege then he had kneed McCaw?
The unfortunate part of all this is the questioning of Cooper’s integrity. It is most distasteful.
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- All Blacks, Quade Cooper, Richie McCaw, Rugby Union, Tri Nations, wallabies
August 29th 2011 @ 7:42am
johnny-boy said | August 29th 2011 @ 7:42am | Report comment
Rubbish. Cooper is just giving as good as he gets. This fanciful idea that the All Blacks are princely honorable gentleman and would never stoop to such tactics is laughable. Witness the All Blacks now resorting to trying to break Wallaby necks and regular attempts to trip. Cooper lacks subtlety for sure but he’d be mad just to sit back all the time and just take what they are trying to dish out to him thinking they can rattle him. He’s fighting fire with napalm whereas he should be using the fire extuingisher of brilliance to run rings round them. That will hurt them even more in the long run but it;s hard to keep an eye on the big picture in the heat of battle
August 29th 2011 @ 7:50am
warrenexpatinnz said | August 29th 2011 @ 7:50am | Report comment
Agree with you JB but I would prefer Cooper to do what you finished with, run rings around them.
Wouldn’t it be a classic though if McCaw or Thorn/Williams slips him one in the RWC (if both teams get there) and gets pinged, yellow card or worse.
The funny thing is if that was a forward he would almost be forgiven, its probably more of a shock and a talking point because its a 10 with the niggle.
The tackling around the head, sure if Paddy O’Brien was questioned about Barnes performance on Saturday one point that would come out would be the non penalising of three AB head twist tackles that went unpenalised after he, O’Brien had made sure that the tackle was now outlawed and would be penalised prior to Saturdays test.
August 29th 2011 @ 1:07pm
Bob said | August 29th 2011 @ 1:07pm | Report comment
There is a difference between niggle and out right violence. As for talk of fighting fire with naplam. I believe QC had the chance to take Nonu’s head off and prevent a try. Dear in headlights!
Cheap shots do not equate to physical dominance, certainly not class.
Leave the niggle/cheap shots to league.
August 29th 2011 @ 10:37pm
happychap said | August 29th 2011 @ 10:37pm | Report comment
Cooper just needs to be a lot smarter with how he deals with all of the extra attention. There’s no doubt what he did was intentional, and he’s extremely lucky he didn’t get suspended for it. Keep getting in McCaws face by all means, I think it’s beginning to be quite effective in hampering McCaws brilliance, but take a step back from pretty one-upsmanship and respond in the best possible fashion – by scoring points.
And Bob, Cooper was in no position to lay a hand on Nonu. He was flat footed and a good few metres away from Nonu. Sure, he could have made a spectacular dive to satisfy the critics, but he still wouldn’t have come within a foot of him.
August 29th 2011 @ 9:11am
M.O.C. said | August 29th 2011 @ 9:11am | Report comment
Surely, JB, you are not trying to justify the act of kneeing a unprotected player in the face? – yes, it is a contact sport and not tiddly-winks (thanks Umaga), but there are some things you just don’t do on a rugby field. Eye-gouging, nut grabbing and kneeing unprotected players is just plain dirty play. If Cooper wants to appear tough and hurt people – then learn to tackle properly. Unfortunately he has taken the cowardly approach and is just showing that he is little more than a scared school-yard bully.
August 29th 2011 @ 9:39am
johnny-boy said | August 29th 2011 @ 9:39am | Report comment
MOC – kneeing in the head is not much chop but I couldn’t be certain it was intentional. At the very least careless but certainly no worse than the attempts to break some Wallaby necks by the All Blacks. I’m not a spinal surgeon but I imagine there’ll be a few in NZ writing to the NZRFU today saying that this is not on. If not they should be because it might be their son who is the unlucky one. A gently knee to the head is minor by comparison imo. Quade was probably lucky it was a south african adjudicator. They think that sort of stuff is being manly which is not surprising given their cowardly abuse of the black population for so long. It will be a very sad day when the black south african players ever stoop to the level of their former oppressors (and thank you for the opportunity to put the boot in to the saffas again
). And I think Cooper is more affronted by the unsportsmanlike tactics of the All Blacks rather than scared and thinks well I’ll just give them a dose of thier own medicince, sans subtlety
August 30th 2011 @ 12:43am
Bobinator said | August 30th 2011 @ 12:43am | Report comment
JB – i guess cheap-shots is becoming an Aussie tradition. Not to get into politics or anything, but Oz have their own record of human rights abuses to be proud of. Leave it out, thanks.
August 29th 2011 @ 8:10am
allblackfan said | August 29th 2011 @ 8:10am | Report comment
Quade Cooper is an idiot!
Rucking is coming back into the game. Let’s introduce him to the delights of that particular tradition! !
On a more clinical note, QC is way too unpredictable to rely on for a RWC title. I noticed that when Nonu went in for his try, QC didn’t even bother trying to tackle him despite having enough space to at least make the attempt!
August 29th 2011 @ 8:53am
johnny-boy said | August 29th 2011 @ 8:53am | Report comment
What you don’t appreciate Abf is that Cooper has truly exceptional spatial vision and awareness and if he can ‘sense’ that to attempt to tackle Nonu would not result in him stopping the try his body and mind would switch off as a waste of effort. It doesnt look good because it looks as if he is not trying but I suspect it is his ‘autopilot’ saving his focus for more worthwhile pursuits later on. Freak atheles can be like that.
August 29th 2011 @ 9:12am
M.O.C. said | August 29th 2011 @ 9:12am | Report comment
can’t tell if you are serious or taking the pi$$ – if it is the latter it’s actually a quite funny post.
August 29th 2011 @ 2:03pm
thurl said | August 29th 2011 @ 2:03pm | Report comment
Saving his focus? more like saving his skin don’t you think…
August 29th 2011 @ 6:13pm
Seiran said | August 29th 2011 @ 6:13pm | Report comment
If you’re trying to be serious, then this is utter rubbish.
August 30th 2011 @ 9:09am
Muzza said | August 30th 2011 @ 9:09am | Report comment
Johnny-Boy seems like a real pro! LOL.
August 30th 2011 @ 9:45am
johnny-boy said | August 30th 2011 @ 9:45am | Report comment
Obviously none of the above have played elite sport
August 29th 2011 @ 8:10pm
Student said | August 29th 2011 @ 8:10pm | Report comment
Heh. I assumed the TV angle made it seem as if QC was close enough to affect a tackle.
Given that QC’s defensive record (or lack thereof) is so well known, I’m surprised more teams are not targeting him specifically on attack. A JP Pietersen/Toeva/AB-14-of-your-choice match up against QC “defending” the Wallaby 11 channel should result in points/superior field position almost always. I can only assume the other teams are waiting for the most opportune moment (i.e. RWC) to exploit this chink in the Wallaby defense.
That said though, the difference this weekend was the performance of the Wallaby half-backs compared to the AB half-backs. Last time around, Dan Carter delivered a complete performance. He seemed to be largely MIA this past weekend.
Great game nonetheless.
August 29th 2011 @ 9:11am
JB said | August 29th 2011 @ 9:11am | Report comment
The more I see of Quade, the more I realise just how good Larkham was – one more good forward in front of him and we would have won in ’03…
August 30th 2011 @ 3:53am
niwdEyaJ said | August 30th 2011 @ 3:53am | Report comment
that extra good forward was Totuai Kefu, but unfortunately he was absent in RWC’03 thanks to a late cheap shot by SA (Shalk Burger I think it was) during the TN that year…
August 30th 2011 @ 4:29am
Ben S said | August 30th 2011 @ 4:29am | Report comment
Robbie Kempson.
August 29th 2011 @ 11:50am
Aussiebill said | August 29th 2011 @ 11:50am | Report comment
It is really very simple. Cooper is neither Jekyl nor Hyde but a thug and hooligan. Just look at his record!
August 29th 2011 @ 12:22pm
RedsNut said | August 29th 2011 @ 12:22pm | Report comment
That neck twist was so obvious that the player should have been cited.
Then, where were the touchies (or assistant refs as they are now called) when the ABs were offside at the rucks? Not doing their jobs that’s for sure.
August 29th 2011 @ 12:52pm
Jimbo Jones said | August 29th 2011 @ 12:52pm | Report comment
I’d like a player, or more knowledgeable fan than I to confirm something for me, can or can you not grab a players neck in the ruck to remove them? Im guessing not, but there has been a bit of it going on from the All Blacks in the last few tests. Ta
August 29th 2011 @ 1:24pm
PeterK said | August 29th 2011 @ 1:24pm | Report comment
You CANNOT grab the head or neck to pull a player out of a ruck or maul, it is illegal play, attacking the head of a player.
I believe the neck twist is far more dangerous than the lifting tackle. They should cite and suspend them for it.
It is a move introduce from Wrestling / MMA. Very very dangerous in a team environment where a player can be pinned by others when it is applied.
August 29th 2011 @ 1:48pm
Jimbo Jones said | August 29th 2011 @ 1:48pm | Report comment
Thanks mate!
August 29th 2011 @ 1:09pm
Tissot Time said | August 29th 2011 @ 1:09pm | Report comment
Jekyell and Hydes creator Robert Louis Stevenson or Tusitala as the Samoans (RLS is buried in Samoa) knew him, in his enduring prayer prayed for courage, gaeity and the quiet mind. Maybe he was lobbying on behalf of Laptop who lacks lust for the tackle. Furthermore Laptops brain snaps do not suggest a calm cerebrum but it would seem gaeity with his mates JOC and KB was answered long ago in Paris.
August 29th 2011 @ 2:48pm
Baybum said | August 29th 2011 @ 2:48pm | Report comment
Johnny boy: most insightful post of the day!
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August 29th 2011 @ 3:06pm
AussieKiwi said | August 29th 2011 @ 3:06pm | Report comment
I have been giving QC the benefit of the doubt given his spectacular skills. Not any more. Whatever the adjudicator said, the kneeing was IMO deliberate, confirmed by the fact that QC alleged intially that he did not recall the incident (were you lying then or are you lying now????) He is a dirty player and should go to league where his ‘skills’ will be appreciated.
Add this one to his niggle after the game in Hong Kong, and his nasty arm to the throat of McCaw at Eden Park and you have a pretty complete picture. it’s not like McCaw could have got him too much on the sly without anyone seeing – QC is almost bnever at the bottom of a ruck!
August 29th 2011 @ 4:03pm
why cant we see it? said | August 29th 2011 @ 4:03pm | Report comment
There seems to be misconception that Cooper is evil and McCaw the gentleman here. Wally you, and what looks like 90% of the world just look at one incident and think thats it. Coopers ‘uncalled for ‘attack’ on McCaw at the tryline you mentioned? DId you not see earlier in the play MCaw attack cooper with his feet (MCCaw obviously thought he would get away with it). Cooper was simply getting payback-and why MCcaw never retaliated. Watch the footage on utube.
Im sorry but the AB’s are constant ‘niggly’ cheats. Always offside at the ruck and scrum, contantly breaking the rules in a way that gives them split second advantage. And they are very good at it. When they are penalised for this it kills their game. Look at Mccaw on Saturday, penalised a few times and shut down. Hes invisble for the rest off the game.
Cooper is a prick but everyone seems to look over Prince McCaw being the one giving it out as well.