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All Blacks boss Ian Foster reacts to Quade Cooper's Wallabies recall

(Photos / Getty Images)

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster says recalled Wallabies first-five Quade Cooper has the potential to provide Australia their first victory in two months against the Springboks this weekend.

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The selection of Cooper for the Wallabies for the first time since 2017 caught the attention of the rugby world when it was announced on Friday, and Foster was among those to take note of the mercurial playmaker’s inclusion in Rennie’s side.

Cooper’s recall comes after Foster’s All Blacks swept the Wallabies in three straight test matches in Auckland and Perth to lock the Bledisloe Cup away for a 19th consecutive year.

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Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie speaks to media ahead of this weekend’s clash against the Springboks

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Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie speaks to media ahead of this weekend’s clash against the Springboks

Throughout the trans-Tasman series, Rennie opted for young pivot Noah Lolesio as his No 10, even in spite of heavy speculation that linked Cooper to an appearance in the dead-rubber Bledisloe Cup test at Optus Stadium last week.

However, Rennie has changed his selection approach as the Wallabies prepare to take on the Springboks in a must-win Rugby Championship encounter on the Gold Coast on Sunday after Lolesio produced three erratic performances against the All Blacks.

In his place comes Cooper, who will add to his 70 test caps after four years in the international wilderness following an SOS call from Rennie in the wake of James O’Connor’s groin injury last month.

The 33-year-old’s addition to the Wallabies side to take on the world champions has been the major talking point leading into the third round of the Rugby Championship, and Foster didn’t shy away when asked for his thoughts on Cooper’s return to test rugby.

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“To be fair, I haven’t spent too much time thinking about that, but I’ll try to come up with an adequate answer for you,” Foster told reporters on Friday.

“He certainly creates a lot of interest, particularly over here [in Australia], but I haven’t really seen Quade play for two or three years, so I’m really not too sure how to comment on that.

“I know the Quade of old has a lot going for him and, from what I hear, he’s done really well in their camp, so I’m sure they’ve picked him for a reason.

“In some ways, when you’ve lost a few, you are looking for a little bit of a change in seasoning in your squad to add a different flavour, and he’ll certainly bring that.”

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It remains to be seen whether that change in personnel will reaps the rewards Rennie and the Wallabies are after as they continue their search for their first win since they beat France in Brisbane to clinch a three-test series victory in July.

Failure to walk away from Cbus Super Stadium with all the competition points this weekend could leave the Wallabies rooted to the bottom of the Rugby Championship table, as they currently are, at the halfway stage of the tournament.

Victory is also required if the Australians are to reclaim the Mandela Challenge Plate from the South Africans for the first time since 2018 after the Springboks last beat the Wallabies 35-17 in Johannesburg two years ago.

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Tom 4 hours ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

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