‘He’s very upset’: Dropped Wallaby Quade Cooper rejects Eddie Jones’ calls
Test veteran Quade Cooper has refused to answer phone calls from Eddie Jones, with the Wallabies coach revealing the shocking news from Sydney International Airport on Thursday.
Following rumours and speculation, the Wallabies officially announced their 33-man squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup last week.
According to multiple reports in Australia, playmaker Quade Cooper was set to miss out on the prestigious squad along with former Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper. This was later confirmed.
Cooper, 35, started the first two Test matches in the Wallabies’ new era under coach Jones, but was relegated to the bench for both Bledisloe Cup Tests.
But after making a costly error in the dying minutes against the All Blacks in Dunedin, Cooper’s time in Wallaby gold has seemingly come to an end.
The Wallabies have decided to go in another direction for the World Cup, but any attempts to call Cooper have been met with silence.
“I’ve tried to and we can’t get hold of him,” Jones told reporters on Thursday. “I think he’s very upset mate.”
Rising star Carter Gordon was picked as the only flyhalf in the touring squad, while utility Ben Donaldson is expected to play a backup role off the bench.
But both players are still very new to Test rugby. Gordon is the more experienced of the duo, and the young pivot only entered the fray of international rugby for the first time last month.
With just four Test appearances to his name, which includes a couple of starts in the No. 10 jersey, Gordon will play a leading role for the Wallabies in the absence of Cooper.
“I don’t know why you’re going back to that. That’s probably reflective of Australian rugby,” Jones added.
"We’ve got to move on to a World Cup with a great young squad and you’re still talking about players we haven’t selected.
“We’ve tried to ring him, that’s all I can do.”
The Wallabies take on international rugby powerhouse France at Stade de France later this month. It’s their last Test before their World Cup opener against Georgia in early September.
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It’s a good, timely wake up call for NZ Rugby (seem to be a few of them lately!) - sort out the bureaucratic nonsense at board level. We can’t expect to stay the number one option without keeping fans/players engaged. We’ve obviously been bleeding players to league for years but can’t let the floodgates open (although I think this headline is hyperbolic as it’s a result of a recent Warriors pathways system where they are tracking things more closely) Understand the need to focus boys on rugby if they’re at a proud rugby school too, don’t think it’s harsh at all re Barakat in Hamilton. Reward the committed players with squad positions. An elite 1st XV system in NZ has done more for league than they even realise, think it’s good to protect our game further.
Go to commentsDon’t pay a blind bit of notice to Lukie… he likes the sound of his own voice and is always looking for something controversial to say. He has been banging on about Leinster's defensive system all season like he knows something Jacques Nienebar doesn’t. Which is the reason why he didn’t apply for the job obviously
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