Cooper frontrunner for No.10 role
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Controversial flyhalf Quade Cooper looks likely to occupy the flyhalf position for Australia on Saturday's Rugby Champiosnhip fixture against South Africa.
There is plenty of competition for the Wallaby pivotal role – incumbent flyhalf Bernard Foley is in form and directed his Waratahs team to the Super Rugby semifinals. While 92-test veteran Matt Giteau can play in the No.10 position, as can Matt Toomua.
However, nearly four years on from his humiliation at the hands of the All Blacks in the 2011 World Cup semifinal, Cooper appears to be the frontrunner to fill Australia's flyhalf role for their opening Rugby Championship clash with the Springboks.
Wallaby coach Michael Cheika is a Cooper fan and there is method to his madness if he selects the Reds flyhalf. Now is the time, if any, to test combinations for the World Cup and therefore there is merit in seeing what the mercurial 27-year-old can offer the Wallabies against the Springboks and then Argentina in Mendoza the week after, rather than sticking with incumbent Foley.
There is also no better venue to unleash Cooper than at Ballymore, his beloved home deck where he has produced arguably his best rugby.
Cheika has not named his starting XV for Saturday yet, but early indications suggest he is leaning towards a halfback combination consisting of Reds duo Cooper and Will Genia, with either Giteau or Toomua packing down at inside centre.
"I've been really, really pleased with what he's [Cooper] done so far," Cheika told AAP.
"A lot of good energy, a lot of good communication from him in organising troops around him.
"We've got a lot of different combinations we can play – today he was playing with Matt Toomua next to him, he could be playing with Giteau next to him like he did on Friday.
"It's probably maybe just having a look and seeing who's playing best together."
A Cooper-Genia-Giteau playmaking nucleus rings bells of the Hong-Kong Test in 2010 where they faced the All Blacks and ended a 10-match losing streak to New Zealand.
Cooper has fond memories of that game and of playing alongside Giteau.
"It was a tough battle and one of probably the best Test matches I've been a part of," Cooper said.
"It's been good having Gitty [Giteau] back in Australia.
"I really relished the opportunity to play with some of the guys I got to play with in that game and just having him back here is great, not only for myself but the younger guys who wouldn't have had the opportunity to play with him."
Cooper, whose post-World Cup future is still very much up in the air, has had an unfortunate run with injury this year but said he felt in good physical shape.
He was restricted to just five Super Rugby games for the Reds due to two separate shoulder fractures, then injured his shoulder again towards the back end of the season.
"I'm not going to lie, injuries are very tough mentally to overcome," he said.
"It's something that's a work in progress but I'm feeling good."
Cooper has signed for European Champions Toulon for 2016 but could still back out of the deal in pursuit of an Olympic Gold in Rio de Janeiro.
However his focus right now is on the Wallabies.
"I'm very focused on the Wallabies right now," Cooper said.
"The future is the future and the past is the past."
Source: AAP
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