Australia
Quade Cooper's future still up in the air
ESPN Staff
July 13, 2015
Quade Cooper was photographed with Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal in April © RCT
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Quade Cooper remains tight-lipped on his future plans, saying only that his immediate focus is purely on the Wallabies. The former Queensland Reds fly-half has an agreement to play for French powerhouse Toulon in 2016 but could yet back out to join the Australian Sevens campaign for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Speaking at Ballymore, where the Wallabies are training ahead of their opening Rugby Championship Test against South Africa on saturday, Cooper said any thoughts about his destination next year had been pushed to one side.

"I'm very focused on the Wallabies right now," Cooper said. "The future is the future and the past is the past. The preparation for this week is all I'm going to focus on - getting out there, doing the right thing, contributing to the team - and we'll go from there."

Cooper's manager, Khoder Nasser, has been engaged in talks with the Australian Rugby Union over his client's possible destination for months, but the Reds in June dropped out of negotiations in dramatic fashion, saying the Cooper camp had "unrealistic expectations". It's unlikely any decision will be announced until after the World Cup.

The 27-year-old's year has been hampered by repeated injuries or fractures to his shoulder but he said he felt in good physical shape ahead of the international season. Indications are that, having spent the majority of coach Michael Cheika's gruelling 15-on-15 training sessions alongside long-time halves partner Will Genia, Cooper is likely to start against the Springboks with either Matt Giteau or Matt Toomua at inside centre.

Cooper said he was yet to be told if he would wear the No.10 jersey or come off the bench.

"If I'm a chance, then it's all looking well," he said. "We're all just training, preparing like we're all going to play."

Cheika is an admirer and there is merit in seeing what the mercurial 27-year-old can offer the Wallabies against the Springboks and then Argentina in Mendoza the week after, rather than sticking with incumbent Bernard Foley. There will be no time for experimentation in the two Bledisloe Cup Tests and also no better venue to unleash Cooper than at Suncorp Stadium, his beloved home deck where he has produced arguably his best rugby for club and country.

"I've been really, really pleased with what he's done so far," Cheika said of Cooper. "A lot of good energy, a lot of good communication from him in organising troops around him. We've got a lot of different combinations we can play - today he was playing with Matty Toomua next to him, he could be playing with Giteau next to him like he did on Friday. It's probably maybe just having a look and seeing who's playing best together."

A Cooper-Genia-Giteau playmaking nucleus would hark back to the famous Hong Kong Test of 2010, when the Wallabies edged the All Blacks in thrilling style to end a 10-game losing streak to New Zealand. Cooper has fond memories of that game and of playing alongside Giteau.

"It was a tough battle and one of probably the best Test matches I've been a part of," Cooper said. "It's been good having 'Gitty' back in Australia. I really relished the opportunity to play with some of the guys I got to play with in that game and just having him back here is great, not only for myself but the younger guys who wouldn't have had the opportunity to play with him."

Cooper, whose post-World Cup future is still very much up in the air, has had a wretched run with injury this year but said he felt in good physical shape. He was restricted to just five Super Rugby games for the Queensland Reds due to two separate shoulder fractures, then injured his shoulder again towards the back end of the season. "I'm not going to lie, injuries are very tough mentally to overcome," he said. "It's something that's a work in progress but I'm feeling good."

© AAP

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