Cooper: It's not about me
The match will be Cooper's first for the Wallabies since last year's World Cup pool match against Uruguay. However, the 28-year-old is not about to put pressure on himself to justify his selection in the No.10 jersey in Michael Cheika's side.
"It's not about me against the All Blacks, it's about the Wallabies against the All Blacks, Australia against New Zealand," he told rugby.com.au.
"So, I'm not getting drawn into anything personal.
"I'm not coming over here thinking I need to do anything special to beat the All Blacks. We need to do something as a team and we owe, not only to ourselves, but the public back at home."
Cooper added: "I can’t say that I'm going to be more consistent or anything like that but I know that every time I put the jumper on I give it everything I’ve got and this will be no different.
"I want to go out there and do the best that I can to contribute to the team and get a victory for the team."
Cooper is not a well-liked figure amongst New Zealand fans, mainly because of a few on-field incidents with Richie McCaw over the years.
Despite this, Cooper's opposite number on Saturday, Beauden Barrett is hoping that the crowd at the Wespac Stadium in Wellington treats Cooper as if he were any other player.
"He's a good bloke and he deserves to be treated like anyone else. As a player, we respect him and if he gets the nod, then that's great for him," he said.
"I haven't seen him play for a while but what we remember of him is his skills, his fast feet – he's a really good stepper and we'll analyse his kicking.
"So there are a few things you look at – you don't get too carried away but you just make sure you do your homework."
Source: rugby.com.au
