On Friday Will Knight wrote an article entitled ‘Calm down over Quade’, and it’s about time someone put together a rebuttal.
Aside from the fact that Quade Cooper had played three good matches in a position where the Wallabies have struggled for direction for years – whereas Ned Hanigan had only one moderately good game in a position a lot of Australian players are currently playing well – the article repeated the same criticisms, red herrings and misleading claims that are repeated again and again about Cooper.
But this isn’t meant as a direct rebuttal to Will’s piece; rather it’s a general rebuttal of those same criticisms that are repeated against Quade and will serve to highlight the dual standards applied to Cooper and all other Australian players.
Criticism 1: Quade is a poor defender
This criticism is actually true. Cooper’s defence is indeed weak. He is always one of the poorest defenders in any team he plays in.
However, where this criticism becomes absurd is that it ignores two very important things: First, that flyhalves are almost always one of the poorest defenders in any team and, second, Cooper’s defence is not manifestly worse than his competitors for the Wallabies flyhalf jersey.
Along with halfbacks, flyhalves are usually one of the two smallest players in a team. They are selected for their skill and ability to lead the team around, not for their physical prowess.
One of Cooper’s two competitors for the flyhalf jersey is Bernard Foley, who is an equally average defender.
According to Fox Rugby stats, in Super Rugby 2019 Foley has made 30 tackles and missed 16 for a 65 per cent success rate. Foley is missing four tackles on average a game and making only 7.5. Foley’s poor tackle rate in 2019 is not out of the ordinary and is fairly reflective of his long-term defensive results.
Cooper has made 14 tackles and missed eight, for a 64 per cent success rate. He is making 4.6 tackles a game and missing only 2.6.
The results are similar, but this ignores the fact that Cooper has made some spectacular try-saving tackles. Were it not for Cooper’s two try-saving tackles on Tevita Kuridrani in Round 1 and another likely try-saving tackle on Pete Samu, the Rebels would almost certainly have lost that game.
When compared to Christian Lealiifano, who has made 27 tackles and missed seven for an 80 per cent success rate, making 6.7 a match and missing only 1.75, they are both poor defenders.
However, Foley is the incumbent and the player Cooper is usually compared against, and defence is not a way of separating the two players.
Quade Cooper of the Rebels. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)
Criticism 2: Quade is error-prone
This criticism is sometimes true but potentially less accurate than it was in the past, and it also ignores the types of errors he commits.
Back in 2011, when Cooper was by far the best No. 10 in Super Rugby, he was error-prone, but the fact is that players who chance their arm going for genius plays will make errors. It is no surprise that Roger Federer virtually always made more unforced errors than Lleyton Hewitt, David Ferrer or Andy Murray, but which of these will be remembered as the better player?
In a 2018 article Ben Smith noted that the conventional wisdom that Foley was safe was a fallacy. When that article was written after Round 7, Foley had the most turnovers of any Super Rugby flyhalf, and in the previous season he had made only three fewer turnovers than Cooper.
The primary difference between the two is that Cooper is a mercurial but genius attacker. Foley, on the other hand, has long been presented as the ‘safe’ alternative to Cooper.
The reason Cooper’s lows are more obvious is that his highs are so much higher than Foley’s. Does it make any sense to opt for someone whose lows are just as low as Cooper’s but whose highs are nowhere near as high?
Criticism 3: Quade lacks a running game
This was a central point of Will’s commentary. While it is true that Quade’s running game has sadly largely disappeared since his 2011 injuries, it ignores the fact that a great running game is nowhere near as important to a flyhalf as great playmaking abilities.
Cooper’s running game has been absent since 2011, but his greatest period for the Wallabies was from the 2013 Dunedin Bledisloe to the end of the spring tour. Cooper guided the Wallabies around wonderfully on a tour that they very nearly won a grand slam. He was named man of the match against both Wales and Ireland. All this despite his running game.
Foley had a wonderful running game from 2014 to 2018. However, during this time results have been appalling and the Wallabies have struggled with direction at No. 10. This is because Foley often struggles to engage his outside backs. Because of this, the Wallabies have been forced to select a second playmaker at inside centre, usually Kurtley Beale, which has resulted in abominable defensive results.
Despite playing in one of the key defensive positions in the team, where defence should be non-negotiable, Beale’s defence is on a par with Foley’s and Cooper’s.
Quade Cooper playin gofr the Wallabies (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
Criticism 4: Quade is a poor goal-kicker
This, again, is true – Cooper is not a great goal kicker. But this ignores the fact that Foley and Lealiifano are not strong goal-kickers either.
Foley has currently made 65 per cent of goal-kicking attempts. Worse still, he has made only five of ten conversion attempts for a 50 per cent success rate, while he has made eight out of ten penalty attempts. This lends credence to the claims that fans make that Foley’s boot is very limited, with him choosing to take easy penalties artificially boosting his rate.
He missed a kick almost directly in front that would have seen the Waratahs beat the Hurricanes in Round 1, and he also missed two kicks almost directly in front against the Brumbies.
While he made a very good kick against the Crusaders to win the 2014 Super Rugby title and another very good one against Scotland to win the 2015 World Cup quarter-final, he is no sharpshooter off the tee. Foley had to make that penalty to win the match because he missed three of five conversion attempts in that match. In the second Bledisloe in 2017 Foley had only a 33 per cent kicking percentage.
Cooper’s kicking percentage sits at 62 per cent by comparison. He has made eight of 13 conversions and two of three penalties. Given Cooper has a 62 per cent conversion rate and does not get to choose whether to kick, it is reasonable to assume that if Cooper made the same decision to kick penalties like Foley, his percentage would be above Foley.
This is not to argue that kicking percentages is a reason to select Cooper over Foley, but it shows that kicking is not a good way of separating the two players.
Criticism 5: Quade is not as good as X
Quade is often compared with a mythical benchmark. On Friday Will noted that he was not as capable as Handre Pollard of South Africa or Owen Farrell of England.
Even ignoring the fact that Cooper can do things in attack that neither Farrell nor Pollard are capable of, Will may as well have said that Cooper was not as good as Stephen Larkham or Dan Carter. While true, it is utterly irrelevant. Cooper can only be compared against the other Wallabies No. 10 options when it comes to national selection.
Quade Cooper playing for Brisbane City. (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Criticism 6: Quade was dropped by ‘X’ coaches so must be a bad influence or a poor player
Examining the facts presents a very different narrative. Over 2010-11 Cooper was Robbie Deans’s preferred Wallabies flyhalf. He was dropped in 2012 when he struggled to get back to form after his 2011 knee injury. Any sensible coach would choose not to select a player if they were struggling for form after an injury.
In his biography Deans said very clearly that the reason Cooper was not selected against the Lions in 2013 was for reasons of form. He did not think Cooper was taking the ball to the line as much as he did before his injury. One can agree or disagree with this claim, but Deans also said that Cooper was returning to form after his injury. There is no reason to think this is evidence of fundamental opposition to Cooper.
Toulon’s coach did not drop Cooper per se either. Despite Toulon playing a very defensive style of game, Cooper was rotated through matches along with Matt Giteau and Jonny Wilkinson, playing matches at both fullback and flyhalf.
Michael Cheika did indeed drop Cooper, allegedly for not enjoying his rugby. However, Cheika’s selections are much maligned, such as choosing Dean Mumm and Ned Hanigan ahead of Scott Fardy, and he has returned abysmal results as Wallabies coach every year other than 2015.
Brad Thorn also dropped Cooper. In addition to some horrific results with the Reds, including a 63-28 thrashing by the poor Sunwolves in 2018 and taking the Reds to the lowest-ranked Australian team, Thorn dropped Cooper for Hamish Stewart in December 2017. Stewart has since struggled at Super Rugby level, with Thorn preferring other players he has since gained in Jono Lance, Bryce Hegarty and now the young Isaac Lucas. This showed an appalling lack of judgment and planning.
Therefore the only two coaches who can be said to have dropped him have shown poor judgment, had abysmal results and are criticised for their coaching and selections. This could count in Cooper’s favour, indicating that only unsuccessful coaches have a history of dropping him.
Conclusion
For years Cooper has been held to a different standard to other Australian players, especially when compared to his competitor for the flyhalf jersey, Foley. This has gone back to the 2011 World Cup, when Cooper was held accountable for a poor campaign in which selections and tactics by Deans were poor.
Overall, when Cooper plays, the Wallabies have a 61 per cent win percentage, an 18 per cent win percentage in the Bledisloe Cup, a 58 per cent win percentage in the Rugby Championship and a 75 per cent win percentage in world cups.
With Foley the Wallabies have a 49 per cent win percentage overall, a 17 per cent wn percentage in the Bledisloe Cup, a 50 per cent win percentage in the Rugby Championship and a 84 per cent win percentage in world cups.
Foley’s overall percentage is boosted hugely by the 2015 World Cup anomaly. Despite Cooper’s Rugby Championship statistics, including back when it was the Tri-nations and therefore did not include the far easier matches against Argentina that Foley has had, his results are still far better.
Australia has won only 31 per cent (11 of 31) of its Test matches since the World Cup when Foley has started at No. 10 but has won 50 per cent (two of four) Tests when Cooper has started, with the two losses being to South Africa on the Highveld and to the All Blacks in New Zealand.
He can do incredible things on a rugby field, things that Lealiifano and Foley could only dream of, and he combines brilliantly with Will Genia and is currently the form flyhalf in Australia.
It is time that Cooper was held to the same standard as everyone else in Australia, especially compared to Foley, and given a fair chance to wear the Wallabies jersey. Whoever proves themselves the best Australian flyhalf this year should be given the Wallabies jersey.
gatesy
Roar Guru
Unarguably good logic, Fionn, Quade is an X-factor player, so while all of your well researched stats put this in clear perspective, it is a fact that he excels when has his backline in motion around him. He does not like a stagnant backline that is being held back by a non-dominant forward platform – neither does Genia, and those two stand out when they have go forward ball, and their outside backs become the beneficiaries. He is not a Larkham or a Lynagh, more like a Knox or an Ella, though those guys tended to work off brilliant set plays. He is Quade, he is his own man and he is truly Queensland’s loss. He can concoct somethings from nothings, which is what we rugby tragics live for, having to watch so much of any game where the referee is the central character. As fans, we live off moments of brilliance and we eagerly await them. Give me an unpredictable Quade over a safe Bernard every day of the week. The price that he paid was that, until 2011 he had never had an injury, and I remember thinking a couple of times before it, when his pivoting and swerving were ridiculous, that he will overdo it one day. When he did, it was catastrophic and it took him a long time to regain his natural confidence. He may never get that brilliant instinctive step or swerve back, but he has compensated and that beautiful little inside ball to Maddocks two weeks ago, show that he still has the instinct and the vision to read where the holes are. I was very optimistic in 2015 that we would sneak up and take on the world in the RWC and I am starting to feel that feeling again.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Misha, Cooper makes the game one of 14 vs 15? I agree. Because there is always an extra defender preoccupied with where his next pass is going, who it is going to and when. Because he can step around 3 players in as many steps, and still offload. Lack of defending? Now that is just silly. Please send the name of the gun tackler who can also attack like Mr Cooper. His defence is as good or better than our other genuine options. There may be a better tackler out there but we need more than a pass ‘shoveler’ in attack. Your post is myopic, given that our incumbent 10 (and al our other 10’s) provide us with at least one ‘blooper’ every week.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Agree with most of that Kerry, especially this: “How many more tries would Israel Folou have scored if the Tahs had of had a functional back line.” I’d like to add ‘or if the Wallabies had a deceptive attack system’. For at least four years we have stumbled on with a stuttering attack and the result of that is on the scoreboard. Oh how much better would we have attacked with a creative playmaker at 10? The silver lining in all this - our best 10 is fresh, after a semi sabbatical in club rugby. Still have hope for Beale though. He remains passionate and is well set up to play from the bench covering 10,11, 12, 14 and 15.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
I'd be interested to read your analysis on how you have decided that an ineffective leg tackle slows a player down more than an ineffective chest tackle.
DonWan
Guest
Literally any Fox article or show and throw in the SMH while you’re at it.
Reedy
Guest
As a Rugby loving Scotsman who has lived here for 10 years i agree with the above. He is Spot on, Foley is a waste of a spot in the Waratahs/Wallabies backline. Bernard Foley doesn't do anything productive or positive towards his team structure.He is a liability imo.The last 4 years show it.The lad gets off scot free after blunder after blunder and The FOX Rugby sychophants and RA media still praise and love him.How can anyone not see how limited this lad is? It`s truly stunning.I`m glad he is playing for the Wallabies because if we meet in the finals i`m fairly certain it will be 3 wins on the trot for us. P.S Don`t pick Quade he will trouble us. ( even though i love the lad and would love him to be picked ) I live in Queensland and witnessed the 2011 Rugby Final.
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
Well I finally watched the Rebels-Lions game last night on Kayo Sports. Besides for 1 mishap in letting in a Lions try QC was close to best player on the field. He delivered some great passes and kicks, controlled play well and defended ok. The Rebels loss was a team failure despite QC being their best player imo. So if you're comparing Aussie No 10s in 2019 then QC just went up another point at the top imo.
Connor33
Guest
Good read, Fionn. Quade was brilliant in the first half in Melbourne and save for one blemish in the second, should have been part of a winning team. No fly half can win with an atrocious 20-1 ratio—yet what impressed me is that it actually spurred Genia and Cooper on in the first half as they knew that the penalty count was against. Bit more needed before any parallel between Cooper and Federer can be drawn, though. ;-). But I got your point and the article should be commended for writing it as it would have took time and thought.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Fionn, I am pretty late to the discussion but here's my take...... I think it was Stormers coach Robbie Fleck that recently said the nr 10 slot is now the most pressurized in rugby. Really Fleckie.! This is news?...... So much is asked of them. They also seem to attract the most emotive fan responses. Just witness the stuff on The Roar. However when they get it right they can actually achieve god like rugby nirvana. Think Barry John, Naas Botha, Dan Carter etc. Eventually even the refs didn't like it when they got tackled. They are the tenuous link between big ugly (um, mostly), thick as bricks (apparently) forwards and the chiseled, manicured salon style hairdo, fleet footed ( well not mostly) film star backline players. If They do not brilliantly find the balance between one or the other heaven help them. It also helps to be handsome . Not sure if Quade Cooper fits in here. Naas fixed his teeth to fix that. Elton tries hard... Maybe too hard. They have to kick like Messi, never miss a tackle, dictate strategy, pass like Craven and have the pace of Habana. Oh... And back to your article.....Quade Cooper can play this game.
Ruckin Oaf
Guest
"..QC has made half as many tackle attempts as Foley. That tells me that Foley is defending in the front line far more often than QC." Why - why doesn't it tell you that the Rebels are much better at controlling the ball and retaining possession than the Warratahs. Why doesn't it tell you that the Warratah front line defence is so awful that Foley has to make a ton of tackles even though he's hiding on the second line. Why doesn't it tell you that Cooper is defending more in the centre where the flankers are likely to be doing the tackling and Foley is hiding on the wing where he has to make more one on one attempts. Maybe it's telling us that coaches now days actively seek to target Foley in attack but they don't target Cooper. Ya reckon that's it terrykidd that in 2019 the smart coaches have noted what a solid defender Cooper is so they don't send runners his way. BUT those same coaches know that Foley is still a speed bump so they'll attack him every opportunity they get. That's probably it, thanks terrykidd for highlighting the stat that shows Cooper is a much better defender than Foley. And have you noticed how Foley always goes low, giving the attacker opportunity to get an offload away, whereas Cooper wraps the attacking player up with his much more effective ball and all technique?
graymatter
Roar Rookie
I seem to remember a silly pass behind the goal line involving one David Campese! The most exciting back Australia has ever produced and who after this incident came back and was if my memory serves me well, the player of the tournament at the following World Cup! Jacko you make Fionn's point for him. You simply pick out the mistake. What about the other fantastic things he did in the game including great tackles! The Rebels lost that game because the Ref was biased, and granted the Lions 20 penalties to 1 and two yellow cards. But you know what impressed me most. Quade didn't give up. He kept at it. That's why I would want him ahead of Foley and several others in my side. With him you are always a chance. With Foley, Beale and Shenanigan you'd better hope for fair weather!
Ruckin oaf
Guest
And it won't mind if you just say the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over again. Win win
terrykidd
Roar Pro
I have a comment to make about the comparison of defence between QC and Foley because Fionn your comparison does not tell the whole story. I will start by saying that in my opinion QC has improved his defence marginally this year. Fionn by your stats QC has made half as many tackle attempts as Foley. That tells me that Foley is defending in the front line far more often than QC. Both have missed about the same percentage of tackles but again that does not tell the whole story. Foley mainly goes low tackling big forwards or 12s coming thru his channel, when he misses it is usually because they are pulling the legs thru Foley's tackles but at least he slows them to allow time for second tacklers. QC on the other hand has a tendency to try and go high with his tackle attempts and mainly gets brushed off ..... we have all seen the QC turnstile with a limp arm hanging out. When have you ever seen Foley do that? The defensive difference between the two is that Foley more often than not puts his body on the line.
Timbo (L)
Roar Guru
I could argue that QC, CLL and Foley aren’t up to world cup standard either. This leaves Matt T as our last hope. I had the displeasure of watching the Rebels game on Saturday night, I am not saying Quade is solely to blame for the result but he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory in defense. I took the time to listen to the full Anthony Fainga’a’s Fox Sports podcast over the weekend. His openness and insight into his concussions is admirable, but his experiences playing with “QB” QC gives a pretty good insight into why Thorn may have benched him. https://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/fox-rugby-podcast-anthony-faingaa-reveals-the-full-extent-of-his-scary-battle-with-concussion/news-story/f380ee173c4a3c67b9d6cee0a41831cb
Big Dave
Roar Rookie
I acknowledged elsewhere in this thread that my biggest problem with Foley's kicking is that when he has a bad night with the boot, he has a really bad night with the boot. Such as the case you cite. Not shying away from that, he seems to struggle mentally to sort himself out when it starts going wrong.
Big Dave
Roar Rookie
Who has been talking Foley up?
Big Dave
Roar Rookie
Well that doesn't appear to be Fionn's intent to me. He references a Roar article as his starting point. But maybe I'm wrong. Mainstream media seems to me to have been pretty positive to him so far this year.
Charlie Turner
Guest
My initial response to you was moderated and they obviously thought it was reasonable and possibly even agreed with me hence they let it through. This comment has been edited by The Roar's moderators.
Zee-Unit
Guest
You forgot Dunedin in 2017. The game where Foley lost us the Bledisloe with his poor goalkicking. It was five tries apiece that night. The difference was the goal-kicking. Five conversions to Barrett, just two from five from Foley who also missed a penalty conversion. 9 points left on the field by Foley .Unforgiveable stuff. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2017/aug/26/all-blacks-v-wallabies-second-bledisloe-cuprugby-championship-test-live
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Jacko, “Did you see the major QC stuff-up overnight which cost his team the win? “ No Jacko, unless that try was worth 30 points.