Another week and another supremely-talented player appears to be on the verge of turning his back on rugby union.
Speculation is mounting that Quade Cooper is about to follow his close friend Sonny Bill Williams into the ring as he chases a new career in boxing.
Whether this news proves true or not – we will have to wait until a press conference early next week to find out for sure – it is a sad indication of just how badly the relationship between the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and their prized asset has become.
Few would have foreseen such a fall from grace 15 months ago when the mercurial fly-half was leading his adopted country to the last ever Tri-Nations crown, with a 25-20 victory over New Zealand, the land of his birth.
The damage was done with his description of the Wallabies set-up as “toxic” under Robbie Deans but the rot had set in beforehand. Despite signing a new three-year deal with the Queensland Reds over the summer, the ARU have not put an offer to Cooper that he deems suitable.
Their latest being a performance-related contract that would see the playmaker miss out on around AUS$200,000 (Dh764,491) a year compared to his current salary.
That offer also implies that Cooper no longer figures in Australia’s top-30 player base, something which instantly damages his bargaining power.
They obviously feel the squad can cope without him, as they did in beating England at Twickenham to all-but seal Deans’ reign until the end of the Lions tour.
And it is interesting that this news appeared less than 48 hours after that triumph. The pair obviously don’t get on and maybe Cooper feels that result has left him with little choice than to explore avenues other than union until Deans is deposed.
Personally I do not think Cooper is done with the code. His situation is different to that of Williams, he has little experience in boxing other than for rehabilitation purposes.
What fighting on a Sonny Bill undercard does give him though is time. At the moment he has few options outside of the ARU – and both parties know it.
The Kiwi-born fly-half has missed the boat on lucrative contracts in Europe and Japan, which will not come up again until next year. He has also hit a brick wall in his bid to convince an Australian rugby league side to take him on.
Training for a fight early next year will keep him fit and focused, but will also give him the chance to monitor the situation at the ARU. Should Deans’ position continue to look rocky then come the end of the Lions tour there is a possible avenue to redemption.
If not then that move north or to league beckons. It might seem like a rash move now but history might well confirm that Cooper is boxing clever.
* For breaking news, follow us on @Sport_360 or find us on Facebook.
