‘Eddie had a plan’: Wallaby on ‘shock’ World Cup omission of Quade Cooper

It was the Rugby World Cup shock that nobody saw coming. No, not the Wallabies’ record loss to Wales but instead the questionable selections that led to their disastrous pool stage exit.

Playmaker Quade Cooper and veteran Michael Hooper were almost unanimously considered certainties for Eddie Jones’ World Cup squad.

Cooper had started two of the Wallabies’ four Tests in the all-important No. 10 jersey while Hooper had been named as one of Australia’s co-captains before The Rugby Championship.

But exactly as reports on the morning of August 10 warned, the star duo were sensationally omitted from the squad which was named that night in Darwin.

Four-Test Wallaby Carter Gordon was the only specialist flyhalf in the squad while Ben Donaldson was named as a ‘utility’ which would see him share playmaker duties.

Gordon, then 21, unfortunately struggled during the sport’s showpiece event and was eventually replaced by Donaldson as Australia’s starting flyhalf. But the Wallabies' sinking ship could not be salvaged.

Australia were beaten by Fiji for the first time in 69 years during pool play, and the Wallabies were bested a week later 40-6 by Wales in Lyon. They crashed out of the World Cup in the pool stage for the first time ever.

More than 150 days after the squad was named, and with the memories of the Wallabies’ campaign now etched into history for the wrong reasons, Donaldson said it “would’ve been very beneficial” to have a player of “Quade’s calibre” around the squad.

“During The Rugby Championship I was doing most of my training at fullback,” Donaldson told RugbyPass. “Quade and Carter were the two 10s, I would jump in every now and then.

“For the World Cup squad I kind of thought, ‘I might be a chance here’ as a 10, 15 utility roll and Quade and Carter might just be the two 10s. That was my mindset.

“I was still hoping to make it but I thought they’d be the two 10s... we went up to Darwin for a camp, Quade wasn’t there.

“I was definitely shocked, I’m not gonna lie. I think a lot of boys were just because he’d been around for so long – even guys like Hoops and all those guys who didn’t make it as well.

“Even if they weren’t going to play at the World Cup it probably would’ve been very beneficial to have a guy like Quade’s calibre in our position.

“Definitely was shocked and it is what it is. Eddie had a plan, (it) didn’t quite work but I definitely was shocked.

“But in saying that I was extremely grateful to be picked and have the opportunity. Looking back at it now, just grateful for the experiences that I got.”

Donaldson didn’t play a single minute during The Rugby Championship. Instead, the 24-year-old watched on as Cooper and Gordon shared the No. 10 role.

But by the end of the Wallabies’ World Cup campaign, it was Donaldson’s jersey.

After coming off the bench during Australia’s final warm-up Test against France in Paris, Donaldson started the first two World Cup matches at fullback.

While the man known as ‘Dono’ went on to start at flyhalf against Wales and Portugal, the Western Force recruit made his mark in the tournament opener against Georgia.

Donaldson showcased a brilliant eye for the sport and an abundance of pace that some didn’t know he had. The 'utility' scored two tries and received Player of the Match honours at Stade de France.

“Getting the nod to start that game was a little bit of a shock to myself and probably a lot of the boys in the team, to be honest,” Donaldson said.

“Playing how I played and the result and getting the win, it was a super cool moment. My family were there.

“When you speak about that experience, it was massive for me. On the world stage, in front of 70-odd thousand people. Just knowing that I can perform at that level in front of a crowd like that gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.

“There was a lot of nerves going into that game and it definitely wasn’t easy. The boys around me probably made me look good.

“You definitely do take a lot of confidence out of games like that.”

But the campaign as a collective was a failure. There’s no denying that many expected better results from the Wallabies who were seen to be on the ‘easier’ side of the draw.

Australia beat Georgia and minnows Portugal in what were the only two results in their favour at the end of an otherwise shambolic season. They only won two from nine Tests.

Coach Eddie Jones has since resigned and penned a deal with Japan, and star wing Mark Nawaqanitawase has signed on with NRL powerhouse the Sydney Roosters from 2025. Chairman Hamish McLennan has been replaced, too.

A lot has happened in Australian rugby over the past few months. From a player's point of view, it seemed impossible to escape the noise and disappointment of the World Cup itself.

“It was not the way or results we wanted, nor expected. Deep down we thought we’d go further in the competition and we probably should have,” he added.

“It was obviously very disappointing bowing out before the quarters… it took a couple of months, probably up until pre-season here with the Force to kind and get over that.

“As soon as the World Cup finished we were on break for seven or eight weeks so you’re not doing any rugby, you’re just with our friends, with our partners just chilling out but that’s always lingering in the back of your mind.

“What could I have done better? What could we have done better? Because essentially we let our country down. We didn’t play the kind of footy we wanted to.

“It lingered for quite a long time but once we got back into pre-season and started training again, your mindset switched a bit.

“Trying to leave that in the past now. What’s happened, happened, as disappointing as it is.

“I took a lot of good learnings out of it. Hopefully, they can just make me a better player at the Western Force and Australia – the Wallabies – in the future.”