Quade Cooper backs out of big-money Toulon switch

Sport360 staff 05:57 20/07/2015
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  • Staying around: Quade Cooper.

    Wallaby star Quade Cooper has pulled out of his big-money move to France to remain in Australian rugby, according to reports in his homeland.

    The Australian Rugby Union is set to confirm the Wallabies playmaker has signed a four-year deal to remain in the country, opting out of his lucrative contract with glamour French club Toulon.

    An announcement is expected to be made on Monday confirming Cooper’s re-signing with the ARU, after his Queensland Reds team severed ties with him last month amid acrimonious contractual negotiations.

    Wallabies coach Michael Cheika gave nothing away on Sunday following his team’s last-gasp 24-20 win over South Africa in the Rugby Championship opener in Brisbane on Saturday night.

    But Cheika has reportedly been a significant figure in the ARU’s talks with Cooper and his management and has repeatedly underlined the importance of keeping the skilful fly-half in Australian rugby.

    “I haven’t been on top of it, I’ll be honest with you, this week, at all,” Cheika said. “Obviously, you can see by him getting the first selection (at fly-half ) what we think about him as a player.

    “With us helping him get to where he wants to go and become an even better player, we’re still yet to see the best of Quade Cooper.”

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    Cooper will reportedly devote all of next year to the Sevens Olympics programme, and then return to Super Rugby in 2017. Cheika said Cooper did a “pretty nice job” against the Springboks but may yet shuffle his options for the remainder of the Rugby Championship with the likes of Matt Toomua, Matt Giteau and Kurtley Beale at his disposal.

    “I don’t know if we delivered the platform consistently enough for Quade to get on the front foot,” Cheika said. “Whereas Toomua is a sort of bulkier player who will almost take it on as a third or fourth backrower as well as a playmaker. That’s the different profile the guys have. We’ve got good options there, we’ll have a look at it.”

    Meanwhile, Will Genia and Rob Horne have been ruled out of Australia’s game in Argentina on Saturday with injuries sustained in the win over South Africa. Scrum-half Genia will have knee surgery after he was replaced at half-time.

    Winger Horne has a calf muscle strain and will also miss the game in Mendoza. Winger Nick Cummins and scrum-half Nic White will join the squad as their replacements, with two further additions in hooker James Hanson and prop Tetera Faulkner.

    “It’s disappointing for Will and Rob to miss this upcoming Test,” Cheika added. “They have both made an outstanding contribution to the group these past two weeks, and will continue to remain part of the wider squad from afar.”

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