“He’s got points in ‘im” is the short sales pitch for why Quade Cooper’s Wallabies career might not be over just yet.
Of course, it’s premature to be dwelling on the idea that Quade – allegedly culturally-questionable in a rugby kulcha kinda way – might be Australian rugby’s saviour a year out from the World Cup.
But this week, at least his path was cleared to play for the Wallabies again when his Super Rugby return was confirmed by signing with the Melbourne Rebels.
It ended a bitter last year at the Queensland Reds after coach Brad Thorn told him he was wanted and exiled Cooper to Brisbane club rugby despite being paid more than $600,000.
But following the Wallabies’ horrible Rugby Championship showing, it’s worth considering what needs to change to turn the world’s number seven side into World Cup contenders.
There’s plenty wrong with the Wallabies, who as we’ve heard and read too often, have won three of their last 11 Tests to become somewhat of a punching bag for Australia’s fed-up rugby fans.
Perhaps improving the appalling lineout and quickly finding a few front-five bruisers would be the best solution to pulling them out of a big rut.
But what else is lacking? Points. The Wallabies were impotent during the Rugby Championship, clearly the worst of the four teams with the ball.
Australia’s 16 tries over six games compared to Argentina’s 18, South Africa’s 21 and New Zealand’s 33. Alarmingly, five of the Wallabies’ tries came in the second half of their comeback win over the Pumas in Salta.
Cooper’s defensive frailties have been well documented and he’s pretty reliable for a blunder and a brain fade. But he can also break the line and provide the unpredictability that’s needed to break down well-drilled Test sides.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Bernard Foley seems to have become too robotic at five-eighth. Kurtley Beale had a crack in the No.10 Wallabies jersey this year and couldn’t spark much.
So, is Cooper the answer? One could argue that Beauden Barrett or Damien McKenzie would find it hard to get an attack firing if they were behind a forward pack that’s consistently outmuscled like the Wallabies. It’s usually simplistic to believe that one player, especially a 30-year-old could turn things around, but why not roll the dice with Cooper?
His move to the Rebels means he’s going to be outside Wallabies halfback Will Genia and also combining with Test regulars Reece Hodge, Dane Haylett-Petty and Marika Koroibete. Jack Maddocks and Sefa Naivalu are also well-credentialed members of a backline with plenty of potential.
So the Wallabies’ halves combination for 2019 would become competitive if Cooper starts well and impresses outside Genia. Remember, Genia and Cooper played together in Queensland’s Super Rugby title-winning season in 2011 and have combined many times at provincial and Test level.
Cooper will be highly motivated to make a last-ditch effort to make the World Cup squad, if only to give a middle finger to Thorn. The Rebels face the Reds at the end of March and early in May which will be worth making in the calendar given Quade’s chances of doing something stupid or stupendous. But it’s likely the decisive test will come within a month when Cooper takes on Foley in the Rebels’ matches against the Tahs in April and the end of May.
The upside for Cooper is that he’s been given a chance to once again push for a berth at the World Cup; the downside is that being a World Cup year, the Wallabies will only play an abbreviated Rugby Championship-Bledisloe Cup of four Tests leading into the tournament in Japan starting in September.
Michael Cheika will want to use the upcoming northern hemisphere tour to settle on combinations and get into the groove. That would be ideal. But he’s already stated that he’ll walk after the World Cup if the Wallabies don’t win it, so if the points don’t come in Europe then Cooper might just be worth a shot.
Does the apparent risk of Quade being a liability for team “culture” weigh down his chances with Cheika? Well unlike Thorn, Cheika doesn’t have the luxury of seeing out a three-year plan. He needs results now.
Unfortunately, Matt Toomua won’t be at the Rebels until he finishes his contract with Leicester in the English Premiership. That might be as late as early June – just two rounds out from the end of Super Rugby’s regular season.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
If only that combination had time to flourish, the Genia-Cooper-Toomua link could be the Wallabies’ best option for the World Cup. It’s still a chance of happening even without seeing much of Toomua in a Rebels jersey. That could free Kurtley Beale to shift to fullback, where he’s been lethal, with the wingers Israel Folau and Dane Haylett-Petty.
That would leave only the outside centre spot vacant in a formidable backline. Tevita Kuridrani? Or perhaps Folau if he goes well against the All Blacks in Yokohama on Saturday.
Cooper’s move to Melbourne, in any case, will hopefully mean Foley has some legitimate competition for his Wallabies’ number ten jersey and will push him to reach the kind of form he showed at the last World Cup.
The Wallabies lit it up with their second-half rampage in Salta but if Foley fails to get the Wallabies breaking the line more consistently over the next four Tests against New Zealand, Wales, Italy and England then Cooper’s odds of a Test return may start to shorten.
Rugbyrah
Roar Rookie
Most private schools are faith based low fees with many Aussie battlers. There are plenty of rich people in public schools. Elite rich private schools are the minority of private schools.
ScottD
Roar Guru
No mate. The best nursery is other countries... :)
Hurles
Roar Rookie
Is your evidence of this The state of Rugby in Australia?
JB
Guest
If he is so good he wouldn't be playing park footy, people think cooper is the messiah, great highlight reel, 2nd tier player, anyone who thinks dropping a park footy player into the wallabies will increase their chances has rocks in their head. Can we stop with this, Cheika and Thorn independently weighed Cooper up as a value proposition and dumped him. He'll get a chance at the Melbourne but there is no form line established for him to get a wallabies start. Huge off season for QC he'll need to hit the ground running, and if he is as good as some people are making out here Rebels should be short priced favourites for the title.
Cliff Bishkek
Roar Rookie
Actually, Thorn is a great NRL and AB player but he cannot explain anything. He is unlikely to string two coherent words together at any time.
Cliff Bishkek
Roar Rookie
Tom G, only because Rugby is not in the Public School system where it could or may attract a lot of the rugby league players who generally all come from the public school system, not all but the fast majority.
rebel
Roar Guru
Never? Take the blinkers off.
Sebastian Amor-Smith
Guest
Finally - someone is talking some sense!! That would be strong back line... Flair in the halves, and defense where it is needed most - the centres. It won't happen though. We love playing KB out of position. Don't get me started about Foley.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Sung to the tune by Crowded House... ‘When I walk in the room...????”
Jacko
Guest
Saw it...replied to it.....Didnt agree with what you said...You wont agree with what I said.......Dont need to know Deans, friend, Thorn, Cheika or the Toulon coach to see that QC is not playing for any of these teams...happy to move on rather than have pointless arguments.....
Jacko
Guest
Fionn I almost didnt bother replying because i knew nothing I wrote would change your thinking....can you show me anything at all that says he was dropped by Cheika and Thorn for personal reasons.....In fact Thorns reasons have been stated as he wanted to go in a different direction so that is clearly a playing reason and Cheika has not once said anything about personal reasons, so I dont know why you wrote that. Deans dropped him because he did not believe QC was the player he wanted and I dont understand QC wanting to stay in an environment that he referred to as TOXIC etc......Toulon dropped him because they picked up a better player in his position...The 7s coach felt he was not up to scratch so again it was an ability issue and remember he did play 2 comps as a 7s player.....And that adds up to FIVE coaches who he has been dropped by...However it is clear another coach is giving him a chance to be the player you believe he is so i wish him all the best at the Rebels.......
Jacko
Guest
Mark a bit of both from what I gather....Rebels and Brumbies offered fairly small contracts to QC but still wanted the Reds to pay him his complete contract....In other words QC ended up with more money ...I guess compensation for shifting...but Reds get nothing...Reds tried to negotiate the extra $$ being part of his contract and QC decided against that being any part of an agreement. So in effect the Reds and QC both made choices that stopped a release....Not ideal for either party...
Don
Roar Rookie
Jacko you are wrong. He had a contract with the Reds and could not sign on with someone else without a release from the Reds. The stumbling block was his contract for 2 years and the money. The Reds expected another side to pick him up and also pay the bulk of his contract but no one did. And they weren't going to subsidise an opponent $300K+ to have QC play against them. QC tried to get a release and payout from the Reds but they refused. That would have allowed him to walk away and play anywhere but would have cost the Reds close to 2 years of his contract value. Clearly the Reds were prepared to wait another season to see if a club was prepared to pick him up and if QC was more amenable to offers given his future value will have diminished massively if he hasn't played any high tier Rugby for 2 years. But to say he could have chosen to go to the Brumbies or Rebels is only correct if you accept that he should have also walked away from about $300K per year... No. The reasons QC did not play SR last year is because the Reds would not subsidise his wage to the value required or negotiate a full payout, QC would not accept a drop in pay to move given he had a contract and Aus Rugby did nothing to step in and help work it out...
TomTom
Guest
The issue with Quade is there is a perception is not a team player. He plays his own game which makes him exciting and 'unpredictable', but it means players around him have no idea what to do either because he's doing his own thing. Remember his comment in 2012 that the Wallabies were "destroying my game"? I suspect Robbie Deans was trying to do the thing a coach does... come up with a strategy and get the players to stick to it. Quade has other ideas and wants to put himself and the way he wants to play above everyone else.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
See my reply above, Jacko. Even if you don't accept what I say you're making assumptions that you cannot possibly have any idea about unless you're privy to personal conversations with Deans, Friend and the coach of Toulon.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Deans dropped him for a few matches on form - as he should have, even Link didn't promote him to starting 10 in 2013 until the spring tour as his form didn't warrant it earlier; he continued to play at Toulon (although often at fullback) and indeed played as much as much decorated Giteau and Nonu; and, he didn't do well at 7s because he wasn't good at the sport. So, yeah, really, it is just two coaches with, thus far, exceedingly poor records at their respective levels (Cheika at international and Thorn at super level) that have dropped him for personality reasons.
MarkD
Guest
Gday Jacko , a little confussed , are you saying that QC chose clubland or that the Reds wouldn't release him because the offers were to low and maybe possible injuries crisis . Gotta say that it would be one big injury crisis before Thorn wouldve considered calling up QC, but that would have been all , a consideration !
Lara
Guest
That is what I don't understand, debate is good , input from respected outside coaches etc is good. No one person knows it all, everyone should be open to criticism. Cheika is a businessman , so the " spider " approach is very narrow n development is restricted to a one man's view. Cheika's self picked team is so inexperienced that it suits him, he can play "God" n they wouldn't say boo about it. The setup is perfect for spider Cheika n the RA are so stuffed up with what they have done in the past , they have no options. The circus will just continue until next year.
Jacko
Guest
Don the REDS were responsible for their part of his contract if he had signed for another SR team so he was not risking 1 cent by going to another SR team in Aus. He would have got exactly the same amount no matter who he was playing with. From what I can gather the offers were so low that the Reds were hardly any better off letting him go so banked him in case of a injury crisis as it would have cost far more to bring in a rookie than what the Brumbies and Rebels wanted to pay
Charlie Turner
Guest
You didn't realise it was a one year contract? The Rebels have bought out Coopers Reds contract which was well documented to end through 2019. That should not be a surprise to anyone.