ARU puts Cooper on notice
The Australian Rugby Union broke their silence over the public rants of controversial flyhalf Quade Cooper, confirming they have placed the volatile player on notice.
The ARU, in a carefully worded statement, confirmed that they have written to the injured No.10, Cooper, about the verbal attacks he made on the Wallabies and coach Robbie Deans last week.
"[The] Australian Rugby Union has written to Quade Cooper in relation to social media comments," the statement reads.
"However, [the] ARU has no intention of conducting those discussions with Quade in the public arena. To that end, we will be making no further comment at this stage," it concluded.
Cooper, who has been ruled out of the remainder of Rugby Championship and require surgery to repair a small chip of articular cartilage in his right knee, last week spoke on the social network Twitter of the 'toxic' environment in the Wallaby camp.
The ARU, who remained silent for almost a week, sent their statement just hours before Cooper was scheduled to appear live on a rugby panel show on pay television to discuss the fallout of his comments, which were made on Twitter and in the media last weekend.
Some of the accusations Cooper levelled against Deans and the ARU was the "toxic culture" that had developed in the Wallabies.
He also accused Deans and other coaching staff of not allowing him to play the attacking style of rugby he wanted to play.
He also said he wanted to play with his 'brother' Sonny Bill Williams, who is expected to sign with a Rugby League club, and that the Wallabies would continue to lose fans if they kept playing boring, conservative rugby.
This sparked rumours he might be finishing up with Rugby Union.
Cooper has kept his head down this week amid suggestions he could walk away from the game and try his luck in League were dismissed by the Reds, who were infuriated by those claims.
The Queensland franchise insisted he is going to be at Ballymore next season and beyond.
