Quade Cooper’s injury looks set to thrust a little-known rugby league convert into the Super Rugby spotlight.
Reds recruit Duncan Paia’aua is likely to get first crack at Queensland’s newly-vacant No.10 jersey for Saturday’s pre-season clash against the Melbourne Rebels in Cairns.
Paia’aua switched to the Reds after leading the Brisbane Broncos’ under-20s to a Holden Cup grand final appearance last year and has been Cooper’s direct understudy throughout pre-season.
With the Wallabies five-eighth now sidelined for three months with a fractured collarbone, opportunity has come knocking for Paia’aua much earlier than anyone at the Reds had anticipated.
But that won’t stop coach Richard Graham from throwing the 20-year-old, who has a rugby union background, straight into the deep end.
“For a guy that’s been away from the game for the last three years, I rate him very highly,” Graham said.
“His ability to go to the line and play the ball late is very good.
“He’s learning the game. I think what’s important is there’s 14 other guys on the field that share the responsibility and help him out.”
Graham will name his squad for this weekend’s trial on Thursday.
Queensland’s other fly-half options are recruits Karmichael Hunt and James O’Connor, but Graham’s preference is to keep those two in their preferred positions.
“At the moment the group’s got a lot of confidence in Karmichael playing 15, and for me to try and give him some certainty through this pre-season I’ll look to keep him there,” he said.
“But I’m open-minded.
“If I have to I can play James there as well. I made it clear that I thought James was the world’s best winger and I was going to start the season with him on the wing.
“When I said that I didn’t think Quade would be out for three months.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
At the midway point of the season, aside from the Western Force, the Australian Super Rugby Pacific teams have had a relatively successful campaign.…
Les Kiss identified the most significant change made since his arrival at the Reds to being his diverse and highly qualified assistants.
The Western Force and Melbourne Rebels will kick off the seventh season of Super Rugby Women’s in Perth. Meanwhile, the Waratahs welcome the Brumbies…
After three losses, the Crusaders are not the powerhouse of previous seasons, while Rugby Australia is set for a new Chief Operations Officer to overcome financial issues.
The benefits of a rugby centralisation model will be streamlined development, a united front, and becoming a rugby powerhouse on the global stage.
After eight rounds of Super Rugby Pacific, there are clear parallels between the table and what we see out on the field. They’re observations…
