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John Cooney's cryptic message after recent upturn in form
By Josh Raisey
It would be hard to find any player that has ever bounced back from the misery of missing out on a place at a World Cup better than Ulster’s John Cooney has this season.
The scrum-half was a controversial omission from Joe Schmidt’s squad to travel to Japan in September, but he has channelled any disappointment he may have felt with some brilliant club form so far this winter.
The eight-cap Ireland international is to date the Guinness PRO14’s top scorer this campaign, helping to steer Ulster to second place in their conference. However, it is in the Heineken Champions Cup where he has made the greatest impact so far.
In their opening game of the tournament, the 29-year-old put in a man of the match performance away at Bath before a try-scoring display against Clermont a week later in their win at the Kingspan Stadium.
He was thrown into the limelight again last weekend with more heroics, kicking a match-winning penalty against Harlequins. The scrum-half has since taken to Instagram to share a photo with a cryptic caption ahead of Ulster’s rematch this Friday with the Londoners:
"https://www.rugbypass.com/news/he-has-still-got-a-lot-to-develop-still-got-a-lot-to-learn-and-he-knows-that-but-he-is-desperate-to-do-that-dan-mcfarland">Cooney has had to effectively do this alone.
Then again, such a disappointment as missing out on the RWC has perhaps been the motivation that Cooney has needed for this upturn in form and ultimately it has put him in a better position for his province and country than he would have been in if he went to Japan.
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Latest Comments
This France team is as good as they were when they went into the World Cup as favorites. Have gone through a rebuild of confidence and rediscovered that form.
Neither England nor Ireland will trouble this team in the 6N. That’s my prediction.
And I guess about time too. Considering that France has won but one 6N title in 6 seasons despite being the best French team for generations thriving off the platform which is the Top 14.
They must just beware of peaking too soon and going to Australia over confident.
Which is also why I thinks it’s absolutely bonkers that France isn’t sending there best players to New Zealand next year. Yes, it isn’t Australia, but getting some SH travel experience makes more sense than not.
Go to commentsI'm not meaning to criticise the players, it's a professional game, this is their livelihood so all power to them. I am aiming criticism at the selectors. Italy is the perfect opportunity to give players of the future a game such as Lakai, Love etc. There is a finite number of tests until the next world cup to develop the team, we are wasting one today.
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