Talented playmaker Quade Cooper admits he is “angry” about the circumstances that have seen him miss out on the Rugby World Cup and has also spoken about his future with the Wallabies.
The 36-year-old said he was not surprised by manager Eddie Jones’ decision but felt there was a “lack of respect” in the way the manager broke the news to him.
Cooper was a surprise omission from the World Cup as Jones decided to take the younger players to France.
However, the strategy was unsuccessful, with the Wallabies eliminated in the pool stage for the first time in their history and their head coach resigning after the tournament.
Ignore Jones’s call
Jones apparently did not inform Cooper that he had missed out on the final squad before the official announcement, leading the fly-half to ignore it when Cooper called him “late at night”.
“For me, it wasn’t a surprise when I was ostracized. I think what was more upsetting than anything was the way it happened. I think there was a lack of respect and communication in terms of how we were told,” he said. Kickoff and kick on Podcast.
Cooper said Jones had indicated he intended to be selected for the World Cup squad earlier this year, but then changed his mind later.
“Before we played against the All Blacks, Eddie told me he was going (to the World Cup) and that Darwin was going to be an important camp for me to really hone my game,” the playmaker said.
“There were some areas where I felt like I wasn’t performing to the level that I should have.
“Everyone wants to go to the World Cup but at the end of the day it’s not all about rugby.”
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Recall?
Now under the tutelage of head coach Joe Schmidt, the 36-year-old has the door open to bringing him back to the Wallabies should the new head coach wish to do so.
While Cooper wants to return to Test rugby, the talented pivot understands Schmidt may want to go in a different direction.
“Someone asked me on Instagram about wanting to continue playing and, of course, we’re in this sport and we want to play at the highest level,” he said.
“But I also understand that at some point there has to come a time when you have to give your all to the younger players.
“I’m sure Joe Schmidt would prefer to do that rather than signing a player from Japan or Europe.
“They desperately want to keep players in Australia and the carrot they have at the moment is players playing for Australia.”
experience
The advantage Cooper has is his experience and whether Schmidt can use it to help develop the younger players.
“My last game was only six or eight months ago and I didn’t feel out of place at all,” the pivot added during a podcast featuring Wallaby legends Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell and Adam Ashley-Cooper.
“If I could go back and change anything when we came on, when myself, James (O’Connor) and KB (Beal) came on, it would be the relationships that we had with you guys.
“If you had been on the team longer … what we really needed was guidance from the older guys.
“A lot of our younger guys are doing a lot better than we did when we were younger. We just wanted it all now, now, now.”
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