Aug 23 (Reuters) – It may have been the pressure, but Quade
Cooper’s return to the international rugby spotlight on Thursday
lasted less than it takes the mercurial flyhalf to take a shot
at goal.
The 24-year-old was recalled to the Australia side earlier
on Thursday for his side’s must-win Rugby Championship clash
against New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday, 10 months after
suffering a sickening knee injury at the same ground during the
World Cup.
Renowned for his incisive passing and quick feet, New
Zealand-born Cooper had a poor World Cup to the delight of his
countrymen and ironically suffered the injury in the third-place
playoff against Wales when attempting one of his trademark
side-steps.
His famed evasive skills were on full display in Sydney on
Thursday, however, as he ducked away from Australian reporters
eager for his thoughts about his recall after being overlooked
for June tests against Scotland and Wales, and the Wallabies’
opening loss of the Rugby Championship to the All Blacks in
Sydney last week.
“That’s all I want to say is, I’m back. I’m fit, healthy –
I’m ready to go. And I’ll see everybody at Eden Park,” Cooper
told reporters at Leichhardt Oval before stalking off.
Asked if he had anything else to add, he replied: “No,
that’s it”. The whole exchange lasted between 10 and 13 seconds,
according to stunned local media.
Cooper’s media snub may have been prompted by a desire to
avoid questions of his last outing against the All Blacks in the
World Cup semi-final.
Dubbed ‘Public Enemy Number One’ in his homeland after some
alleged dirty play on All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, he was
greeted by a barrage of jeers from the crowd when the ground
announcer ran down the teams before kickoff of the semi-final.
He started the match by kicking the ball into touch and
played poorly thereafter as the All Blacks shut down his time
and space.
He ended it by being unceremoniously dumped over the
touchline by winger Richard Kahui as the crowd chanted “four
more years”, in reference to the taunt by former Australia
scrumhalf George Gregan during the semi-final defeat of the All
Blacks at the 2003 World Cup.
Cooper was applauded by a more sympathetic crowd when he
hobbled off the ground injured against Wales, but can expect the
reception from the fans, and the All Blacks, to be frosty again
on Saturday when he runs into the lions’ den of a sold-out Eden
Park.
(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by Ian Ransom)
