Quade Cooper set to return, lead Australia in Tri Nations
They have lost the Tri Nations tournament, and the Bledisloe Cup in the process, but Australia’s national rugby side, the Wallabies, have plenty to play for when they take on South Africa’s Springboks on 28 August and 4 September, and then take on New Zealand on 11 September to close out the annual tournament. And the good news is that they’ll have star fly-half Quade Cooper back, who’s missed two straight games due to suspension.
Cooper played a major role in his side’s victory against the Springboks in their opening match of the tournament, when they triumphed 30-13. But his dangerous lifting tackle against Morne Steyn in that match saw him get a two-week ban, which caused him to miss both his team’s games against the New Zealand All Blacks. The Wallabies fell twice in a row, 49-28 and then 20-10 to put them out of the running for the Tri-Nations crown, and it also meant they lost the three game series against the Kiwis, for which the Bledisloe Cup is awarded. But now Cooper is looking to come back and make a big impact.
"It's been very hard to sit on the sidelines especially when you get beaten by your most fierce opposition," said Cooper to AAP.
His team will need his help. Their next two games will see them on the road in South Africa, first at the high altitudes of Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where his team has never won against the Springboks. Then they’ll go to Bloemfontein, where they haven’t won in 47 years.
"We've got two tough games in South Africa and we can look at them and think we haven't won in Pretoria in 60 years, or something ridiculous, and we overcome that and tick that box and then make a new challenge," said Cooper.
"And what more can you look forward too – playing the current world champions on their home soil on their best parks."
They’ll have to deal with the high altitudes, which is where the Boks have always shined.
A fight for second place
Cooper will be playing a determined Springbok side looking to dig in their heels after facing a stunning three losses in a row. The Springboks dominated the 2009 version of the tournament, going 5-1, so to start 0-3 (all losses on the road) means they will be absolutely desperate to turn things around. While the Kiwis have effectively won the tournament by going 4-0 to start, with the Wallabies at 1-2 and South Africa at 0-3 second place is very much up for grabs.
It will be interesting to see how South Africa reacts. Rugby is often a game of attrition, and facing three tough losses in a row will leave them battered. On the other hand, rugby is also a sport where the home field advantage matters a great deal. South Africa were considered by some to have equal chances to win along with New Zealand (Australia being a distant third) and their failure will mean coming in second is the only acceptable option now. That means beating the Wallabies, and it means Cooper’s boot will have a huge role to play in any victory.
But Cooper feels his team has a pretty good shot, noting that after falling 49-28 in Melbourne to the All Blacks they were able to improve for their second match in Christchurch, losing 20-10, something he hopes his team can continue to do.
"The improvement from Melbourne to Christchurch was phenomenal and if we can improve again from Christchurch to Pretoria that's a step and then the following week in Bloemfontein," Cooper said.
"If we can keep chipping away the time we're on the end of year tour we'll be on the right track."
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