Quade hungry for Lions battle: McKenzie
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Controversial playmaker Quade Cooper is burning with hunger to win the Wallabies’ No.10 jersey back and help beat the British and Irish Lions next year, according to Queensland coach Ewen McKenzie.
Describing Cooper as the most passionate rugby player he’s encountered, McKenzie on Monday said his Reds five-eighth was ready to put his problems with Australian rugby behind him and return to top form for 2013.
“While there’s been a lot of talk in recent time I’ve never ever thought that he wasn’t passionate about the Reds, about Australian rugby,” he said.
The 24-year-old, currently sidelined following knee surgery, will front an Australian Rugby Union code of conduct hearing in Sydney on Wednesday where his immediate future will be decided following his public criticisms of the code and Wallabies last month.
Cooper has since met with ARU integrity officer Phil Thompson as well as national coach Robbie Deans, while the QRU has also been in high-level discussions on the subject.
McKenzie took the Reds to last year’s Super Rugby title and enjoys a remarkable 78 per cent success rate with Cooper as his No.10 since 2010, but bluntly said he had no concerns about losing the 38-Test star.
Cooper re-signed with Queensland on a three-year deal in June but he has yet to formalise that agreement by signing with the ARU.
Reports have suggested he will be fined for his attacks on the Wallabies’ “toxic environment” and dour style of play and the punishment could be borne out in a reduced ARU contract.
At the time, Cooper told AAP he hated losing and was the most competitive person he knew and his comments were the result of frustration, especially given they were not challenging the All Blacks with an attacking game plan.
With the crowd-pulling Lions touring next season, McKenzie said Cooper would be hellbent on regaining the playmaking duties from good friend Kurtley Beale, who has starred at five-eighth in Australia’s past three Tests.
“He’s one of the most competitive guys I’ve met,” the coach said of Cooper on the first day of Reds pre-season training on Monday.
“I’m sure he’ll want to play 10 at the highest level he can in front of the biggest crowds he can possibly play. That’s him.
“He wants to showcase (his skills) but the thing people miss is that he likes the responsibility of making things happen and have a game plan and taking it on the field.
“He likes that responsibility and we’ve relied upon him heavily in the last few years to deliver for us and he has.
“He likes to be empowered to do that and he feels that’s his job. I’ve seen no change in him in that sense.”
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The Crowd Says (32) | Page 1 of Comments
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- Quade Cooper, Reds, Rugby Union, wallabies
October 30th 2012 @ 5:31am
Billy Bob said | October 30th 2012 @ 5:31am | Report comment
An attacking game plan?
When has that ever worked?
October 30th 2012 @ 5:38am
Justin2 said | October 30th 2012 @ 5:38am | Report comment
Notice the language link uses. He knows how to get the most out of QC…
October 30th 2012 @ 6:12am
biltongbek said | October 30th 2012 @ 6:12am | Report comment
I thought he is done with the Wallabies?
October 30th 2012 @ 6:56am
Red Kev said | October 30th 2012 @ 6:56am | Report comment
It depends on if the Wallabies want to win or not biltong. Cooper is still the only flyhalf in Australia who can make a mediocre backline look good, and the only one who can make a good backline sparkle. Barnes makes a good backline look poor, O’Connor is too selfish to be a 10 his first instinct is to run not set up someone else, and Beale has the weakest passing game of the four as well as spending too much time running sideways.
October 30th 2012 @ 8:25am
PeterK said | October 30th 2012 @ 8:25am | Report comment
agree with all that.
Lealiifano is the only genuine challenger as a long term 10 out of the current crop, that is if you want a playmaker at 10 instead of a runner which Beale and JoC are.
October 30th 2012 @ 8:41am
Riccardo said | October 30th 2012 @ 8:41am | Report comment
x 2 Peter.
Imagine a squad with both of them competing for that role.
October 30th 2012 @ 9:30am
Harry said | October 30th 2012 @ 9:30am | Report comment
That is my hope (Cooper and Leoliifano both fit and firing in Sup0erRugby competing for the Wallaby 10 jersey). While Beale has done a good job at 10 in the last 2 tests, I still beleive his best position is 15 – provided he has got himself into the proper professional shape.
October 30th 2012 @ 10:31am
Cattledog said | October 30th 2012 @ 10:31am | Report comment
That would be a good result. There is no way Beale has ‘starred’ as fly half. He’s been solid, not much else. Sure, the try he set up for Digby was great…the sort of play you see good schoolboy 1st XVs doing pretty regularly.
Anyway, let’s hope the ARU as well as taking necessary action against QC, take the time to look in their own backyard and sort out the problems. Just love the way some organisations ‘shoot the messenger’ without looking at the root cause.
October 31st 2012 @ 12:44pm
garth said | October 31st 2012 @ 12:44pm | Report comment
Wallabies could do without Cooper’s (or Nasser’s) ego though.
October 30th 2012 @ 6:30am
Winning is better than being entertained said | October 30th 2012 @ 6:30am | Report comment
Quade Cooper is a very good player at super level but at test level he is a defensive liability. You always have to have other guys covering for him. He isn’t a reliable kicker either. It’s nonsense when you have a 1st five that can’t do the core skills he’s meant to do and you have to always find a place in the backline for another player who can kick goals. I won’t even go into his brain explosions when under pressure.
October 30th 2012 @ 8:24am
PeterK said | October 30th 2012 @ 8:24am | Report comment
In Australia the goal kicker does not have to be the flyhalf ie it is not their core skill. Australias 2 best flyhalfs Ella and Larkham were not the goal kicker.
Cooper is a good kicker in general play. Better than Barnes or Beale anyway.
His tackling has improved but of course it had only 1 way to go. If you look at his test stats he missed few tackles this year but ignore that and keep rating him on history.
October 30th 2012 @ 2:55pm
yahyah said | October 30th 2012 @ 2:55pm | Report comment
he may have made a few tackles but none of which dominate. he often goes for the safe bear hug tackle in which any South African tight five can make a good five metre gain. We’ve seen that all year since his international return.
October 30th 2012 @ 3:18pm
aussie sports lover said | October 30th 2012 @ 3:18pm | Report comment
I suppose it’s better to have a bear hug than a leg massage. He has improved from hopeless defender to below average defender.
October 30th 2012 @ 7:01am
Rabbitz said | October 30th 2012 @ 7:01am | Report comment
What happened to not wanting to play in “the yellow shirt” ever again?
God I am bored of this bloke – This will be my last comment on Cooper until he does something smart, anything smart.
October 30th 2012 @ 1:08pm
CB said | October 30th 2012 @ 1:08pm | Report comment
This will be your last comment then.
October 30th 2012 @ 8:44am
ABlacks Fan said | October 30th 2012 @ 8:44am | Report comment
Agreed Rabbitz…I like the something smart bit. I think he should start from shut up and do something SMART because talk is cheap!!
I never heard of a team trying to play a game plan that suit one individual….Sorry QC/Mckenzie may be only for the reds then.
People should remember that the players around you makes you looks good on the field.
October 30th 2012 @ 8:52am
Justin2 said | October 30th 2012 @ 8:52am | Report comment
“the players around you makes you looks good on the field.” Maybe ask Digby how he likes playing with QC
October 30th 2012 @ 11:11am
Cattledog said | October 30th 2012 @ 11:11am | Report comment
Along with all the other Reds, Justin. They all lift when he’s playing.
October 30th 2012 @ 9:39am
Blue Blood said | October 30th 2012 @ 9:39am | Report comment
I understand the vested interest McKenzie has in this situation. But it is making me sick how he is now trying to speak for Cooper. Cooper had a chance on the rugby club to say I depth what he meant and it was perfectly clear. Twitter can be misinterpreted, that interview was comprehensive and gave him the floor. You can’t rewrite his recent history McKenzie.
Cooper doesn’t deserve a Wallaby top up this year. A fine paid out of an inflated ARU top up is really just the ARU paying itself for Cooper’s actions. Only a serious ban will mean anything. Ban him for at least the Lions Tour, if not the year. If he keeps his record clean them negotiate an ARU top up for next year.
If he is so passionate then he will cop this sweet and be a better man for it. Ban him from spcisk media for 12 months whike you are at it. he cant be trusted.
Don’t condone and reward behaviour that should have him sacked. Teqiri got fired for less. His indiscressions were in the bedroom and damaged his marriage more than it did the Wallabies.
October 30th 2012 @ 4:18pm
PeterK said | October 30th 2012 @ 4:18pm | Report comment
Tuqiri had been in trouble multiple times for code of conduct. He was on a last warning.
This is Coopers first formal code of conduct I believe.
October 30th 2012 @ 7:44pm
bennalong said | October 30th 2012 @ 7:44pm | Report comment
I don’t understand your defense of Cooper Peter K.
Cooper is ‘persona non grata’ having rejected the “yellow” jersey and stuck his foot in it when his teammates were on the high veldt
Link is showing his political side and should have shut up until after the hearing. He’s lost me.
Cooper has penance to perform and I wonder if he’s up to it.
He has not performed at test level and the Wallabies owe him nothing
Having said all this I hope he performs for the Reds and cops his time out of the national run on team sweet.
That would be the best for all
October 30th 2012 @ 11:02pm
PeterK said | October 30th 2012 @ 11:02pm | Report comment
I am keeping it real. People are making factually incorrect statements fueled by their emotive agenda.
Yes Cooper does have a penance to perform, however I believe he had valid points and I also believe he tried to go through the correct channels and basically got no where.
He then showed incredible courage to be a whistleblower.
Now it is shoot the messenger.
His timing was poor, and yes I understand what team solidarity, however imagine you believe in something bigger like the future of rugby in Australia and see a downward spiral in attendences, a losing style (at least against the AB’s), boring rugby, a code dropping further behind.
Imagine then you take it up internally and are ignored. You believe in it so much that knowing it will be at a significant personal cost you take it public. That can be very admirable.
It is rarely as black and white as media or people with agendas make out.
Factually you are wrong that he has not performed at test level. He has played very well in some including last year in Brisbane against AB’s.
It seems you hope he does not make it back to the Wallabies or perform well at that level.
October 31st 2012 @ 1:56pm
bennalong said | October 31st 2012 @ 1:56pm | Report comment
Peter
I have seen no evidence of support for Cooper from within the players group so I can only suspect you are pushing your own impressions of a toxic environment. As we saw the team rallied, almost as if to show their team culture was not as painted by QC
Cooper was only just back from injury when he came back in at 10 and he was obviously not 100%. His kicking was woeful. Do you seriously think he was playing attacking rugby or even capable of it?
He was in no position to make complaints
I believe he was shattered when his knee played up again and made a big,BIG mistake.
Like a child!
October 31st 2012 @ 4:47pm
PeterK said | October 31st 2012 @ 4:47pm | Report comment
I never said all his points were right.
It probably felt like a toxic environment to him since he seemed to have no input, the Wallabies were and are playing a losing style against the AB’s, they score very few tries etc. Obviously he thought he was being shackled and this made him frustrated, so from his point of view he was unhappy etc.
The aspects ie playing style, not attacking, attendence numbers are down etc were all correct.
Against Argentina Cooper WAS playing an attacking style he set up 3 tries, he continually passed in front of the backline players who were supposed to run onto it, instead they stood flat footed and the ball went to ground.
No other flyhalf has been a playmaker for the Wallabies this year. Cooper has. Yes he made mistakes no question, also agree he was not at his best.
The team culture may be ok but the management ie coach and administrators culture is terrible.
October 30th 2012 @ 8:16pm
chester said | October 30th 2012 @ 8:16pm | Report comment
What a load of tripe Peter K
When had Tuqiri broken the code of conduct previously
October 30th 2012 @ 10:52pm
PeterK said | October 30th 2012 @ 10:52pm | Report comment
Tuqiri had some alcohol related offences, going out drinking whilst on tour was one.
October 30th 2012 @ 11:05pm
PeterK said | October 30th 2012 @ 11:05pm | Report comment
It was in 2005 that Tuqiri’s off-the-field disciplinary problems hit the headlines when he was handed a suspended two-match ban for his part in a late-night drinking incident in a Cape Town while on duty with the Wallabies.
In May, he was reportedly fined for his part in the ‘Peter Hewat phone scandal”. Tuqiri left Wallabies selector Michael O’Connor red-faced after placing his mobile on loudspeaker during a conversation between the in which O’Connor was highly critical of Waratahs teammate Hewat – who was present at the time.
October 30th 2012 @ 9:43am
Comrade Bear said | October 30th 2012 @ 9:43am | Report comment
I read the similar article on rugbyheaven – the few quotes from Link were basically saying that QC loves the responsibility of implementing a game plan – the wallabies have no game plan – Cooper gets a little frustrated with no plan.
Maybe that is why he is great for the Reds, but doesn’t bring that same level to the Wallabies.
Barring injury – he’ll have a great 2013 methinks – and agree QC and CL are looking the best prospects. Shame Matt Toomua has had too many injuries also and not quite got there yet.
October 30th 2012 @ 2:26pm
Jiggles said | October 30th 2012 @ 2:26pm | Report comment
CL needs to stay fit too. He has only really played consistently this year for what 6 games then got bunged up again. I’ve seen him a bit since his school boy days and he is skillful, but I don’t think I have seen enough him to call him a test player just yet.
October 30th 2012 @ 10:15am
Paulo said | October 30th 2012 @ 10:15am | Report comment
Ewen = Queensland Coach??? – I thought he was REDS director of Rugby and Graham was coach . . . has something changed that the press has not advised of or does EMcK think RD has got the upper hand again after EMcK coached QC tweets? I think Connelly got it right and QC needs to think about a new career.
Job on SEEK for Afternoon Shift Cleaner at CHH mill in Tokoroa . . . you can tweet during the day then go to work!!!!
October 30th 2012 @ 10:42am
formeropenside said | October 30th 2012 @ 10:42am | Report comment
Great, so apparently the Reds 2013 season should suffer because Robbie cant coach.
But no provincial bias by those calling for Quade to cop a ban.
October 30th 2012 @ 5:33pm
Wilson said | October 30th 2012 @ 5:33pm | Report comment
I’m happy for him to play for the Reds if they want him. I just don’t want that ungrateful man in the wallabies colours any time soon. I want him out for 12 months, but would think a ban that excluded him from the Lions tour would be sufficient. I also don’t want him getting any ARU top up for next year if he isn’t playing for the Wallabies. Save the money for those working hard for the additional 6 months of the year who are happy to play for the Wallabies. He still hasn’t even come out and apologised or expressed remorse.
Play for the Reds by all means, but stay away from the Wallabies you detest so much Cooper.