SYDNEY : Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper believes he is much better equipped to handle the pressure of a World Cup than he was when he made his debut at the global showpiece 12 years ago.
In 2011, Cooper became a hate figure in New Zealand, the land of his birth, as he helped Australia to the semi-finals before sustaining a knee injury in the third-place playoff that sidelined him for seven months.
Having played a bit part in the 2015 tournament and been left out of the squad for Australia’s disappointing 2019 campaign, the 35-year-old is back as the Wallabies’ first choice playmaker for France later this year.
“When I went to the World Cup in 2011, there was a whole lot of pressure on myself and I guess I didn’t necessarily understand how to deal with it so I looked at it as a pressure situation,” he told reporters at the unveiling of the World Cup kit on Thursday.
“Whereas nowadays, the game is the easy part … it’s preparation years before, months and months before, that will set you up to be able to do well at the World Cup.”
Cooper returned to the test fold after a four-year absence in 2021 and led the line with a new maturity, helping the Wallabies sweep South Africa and Argentina in four Rugby Championship tests.
His injury woes returned in 2022 and he has spent the last 10 months recovering from a ruptured Achilles sustained last year’s Rugby Championship opener.
Cooper said he was confident that he would be fitter and faster than ever if selected for this year’s opening Rugby Championship fixture against South Africa in Pretoria on July 8.
“I’ve had just over 10 months now since the injury, so I’ve had 10 months to prepare myself physically,” he added.
“Looking forward to just being able to get back out there continue to work, and I know that I feel great.”
Cooper said he was enjoying a more equal relationship with Eddie Jones, who was his coach as a teenager at the Queensland Reds and returned to the helm of the Wallabies in January.
There were perhaps echoes of the former Japan and England coach’s strategic thinking when Cooper spoke about how he would approach this year’s World Cup, which kicks off on Sept. 8.
“The World Cup is the best teams in the world at the same place, at the same time, and the reality is it’ll come down to three games,” he said.
“It’ll come down to getting through your pool, and then being able to stay locked in and focused for three games.”
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