Wallabies sweat over injured star ahead of UK tour
REACTION: Reece Hodge is in doubt for the UK leg of the Wallabies’ end-of-year tour but coach Dave Rennie has confirmed Quade Cooper will feature after discussions with his Japanese club.
Hodge lasted only 13 minutes of Australia’s 32-23 tour-opening win over Japan in Oita on Saturday after sustaining a pectoral muscle injury.
Rennie is sweating on scans and said while Hodge will still fly to London with the squad on Sunday, the utility back is no certainty to play against either Scotland, England or Wales.
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“The plan is that he’ll travel,” Rennie said.
“We’ve still got a couple of weeks until we play Scotland so that will buy us some time to get clarity around what we do if it’s [as] long-term [injury].
“We’ll assess that in coming days.”
Respectful of where his pay cheque is coming from, Cooper has been ever-diplomatic in recent weeks when asked if Saturday’s game would be his last Test of the year.
Although World Rugby regulations dictate that clubs must release players for international duty, Cooper wants the blessing of the Kintetsu Liners.
It appears the playmaker has that, with Rennie offering an emphatic “yes” when asked if Cooper would be on the plane to the UK on Sunday.
