- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Sixteen years ago, Quade Cooper was merely a “child” on a learning curve. So steep and brutal that his young Queensland Reds side, coached by none other than Eddie Jones, was smashed by the Bulls 92-3 in Pretoria.
Fast-forward to the eve of the Rugby Championship and Cooper and Jones have some unfinished business to take care of, as the pair plan their highly anticipated return together to Loftus Park – a venue the Wallabies have never won at – to kick-start their Rugby Championship campaign on July 9.
Sixteen years after the Reds side were smashed by the Bulls, Quade Cooper and Eddie Jones will return to Pretoria. (Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Asked what differences he had noticed in Jones the best part of two decades down the line, Cooper said maturity and life experience had seen the conversation shift since that humbling Saturday evening against the eventual Super Rugby winners in 2007.
“I was a child, I was 17 when I first met him, so if you’re 17 coming into an environment like this, into a professional environment, predominantly of grown men, your perception of them is a whole lot different,” Cooper said.
“Now, I’ve been able to just have a conversation to him man-to-man, and also my level of understanding of not only life but football is at a higher level.
“When we’re having conversations, he’s saying something I can understand at a higher level. I can challenge his thought process based on my own.
“I think those conversations are beautiful conversations to have, so I’ve really enjoyed being around him.
“When I was younger, it was a more fear relationship because you’re such young kids, so you look at them like a father figure when you walk into a room.”
Quade Cooper has declared he’s ready for the Wallabies’ World Cup tilt. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
While Cooper is no certainty to run out against the Springboks, with Bernard Foley and Carter Gordon vying for the spot too, the playmaker declared he was fit and ready to grab hold of the No.10 jersey after making a successful return from a ruptured Achilles that saw him miss the majority of last year’s Test campaign.
“Yeah, I mean, I said this in one of our meetings with all of our players, I 100 per cent want to wear the No.10 jersey, but I’ll also know that the other boys are in that same mindset,” he said.
“So, the respect aspect is to compete as hard as possible for each jersey, but also support our teammates if they’re selected as well.
“I look forward to the opportunity to have that opportunity. If I get that I’ll do the best that I can to uphold it.”
After years of negativity in the air surrounding the XV-person game Down Under, the change in the wind was on full display on Thursday as the Wallabies’ World Cup jersey was unveiled at Coogee Oval.
Although it’s simply a re-modelled version of recent years designed to “move with the players”, it is the first time the orange gold jersey has been used at a World Cup since 1995.
Along with Cooper, Michael Hooper and Taniela Tupou spoke of the fact no-one had earned their spot on the plane to France.
“Firstly, [it’s] a privilege to wear, you just want to be in it a bit more, right?” Hooper said.
“I grew up loving this jersey, wearing it, seeing Prime Ministers wear it out the following morning after a Wallabies game, so it means a lot to myself and my family, it’s awesome to wear as always.”
Just who will get the first chance to star in the jersey will be seen on Sunday, with Jones to name a 33-man squad to take on the Springboks, with several injured players to be included in a rehabilitation group too.
Hooper, who is bidding to play at a third straight campaign, said he had been impressed by Jones’ meticulous planning since being parachuted into the role ahead of Dave Rennie in January.
“Eddie has had his fingerprint on all of us since he walked in, the preparation has been fantastic, his understanding of what he wants he’s articulated really well,” Hooper said.
“You come in with your own certain thoughts and ideas of what it could look like, what you’ve heard, but there’s no better way of experiencing it until you’re in it, and it’s been really positive so far.”
(L-R) Michael Hooper, Quade Cooper and Jordan Petaia unveil the Wallabies 2023 Rugby World Cup jersey at Coogee Oval on June 22, 2023 in Sydney. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Asked whether he thought Jones had enough time to turn the Wallabies from 38 per cent winners under Rennie to World Cup champions, Hooper said there was no shortage of talent.
“It’s the land of the giants when you get into this squad, a bunch of big, athletic, powerful team members, and that’s been the case,” he said.
“It’s bringing it all together and getting it going in the same direction is what we need to do and do it quick.
“The competition for spots is incredible. There’s no Brumbies here at the moment, and there’s a genuine team here already, there’s a lot of good players there, and how you fit that into a 33 is a challenge for the staff.
“The great thing about a World Cup is that it’s a sprint, even though it’s 128 days until the final now, so that is not long in the scheme of things.
“And four games are important to give you a good amount of confidence going into the World Cup, but we’ve seen in the last World Cup you can drop a game and still win the thing. It’s about peaking at the right time, that’s super important.”
Cooper, too, is bidding to play at his third World Cup campaign having gone from the main shot caller in 2011 to missing the squad altogether in 2019.
The veteran playmaker said while World Cups ultimately came down to executing in three knockout matches, the preparation done ahead of the tournament was crucial.
“The biggest lesson is when I was younger and went to the World Cup in 2011 there was a whole lot of pressure on myself and I guess I didn’t necessarily understand how to deal with it,” he said.
“So, I looked at it as a pressure situation. Whereas nowadays, the game, as I said, is the easy part, being consistent in the day-to-day Monday through to Friday, and not just this week, not just the week leading into the game, it’s preparation years before, months and months before, that will set you up to be able to do well at the World Cup.
“But, as you know, the World Cup is the best teams in the world at the same place, at the same time. The reality is it’ll come down to three games, it will come down to getting through your pool, and then being able to stay locked in and focus for three games.”
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.