Cooper thanks Rebels for restoring 'a lot of love I lost for the game'
Melbourne Rebels and Australia fly-half Quade Cooper has taken to Instagram to thank his club after his comeback season ended on Friday.
Needing a win to make the Super Rugby quarter-finals, the Rebels were battered 59-8 by the Chiefs at AAMI Park. It concluded a disappointing end to the season for the Rebels, who lost their last two games with a combined score of 125-8.
However, for Cooper, this can be seen as a good comeback campaign. The 31-year-old was completely dropped from Brad Thorn’s Reds side last year and was forced to play club rugby for Souths.
Many would have thought that it spelled the end of his Super Rugby career, let alone his international aspirations.
However, the Rebels took a punt with the mercurial fly-half this season, in which he has thanked them for restoring “a lot of love I lost for the game and faith I lost in the rugby system”. This is what he shared:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BysV5MrArWJ/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet
The Rebels made a blistering start to their season, winning five of their first seven games with Cooper at the helm. In light of his performances, there were many calls for a recall back to Michael Cheika’s Wallabies squad, which he still has a good chance of making for the World Cup in September.
However, he will undoubtedly be disappointed in how the season has ended, where his side won just two from nine games and subsequently dropped out of the top eight. It meant the Rebels’ hopes of making the play-offs for the first time were dashed.
Therefore, it will be mixed feelings for Cooper at the end of the season where he will ultimately be glad he is back performing in Super Rugby and proving his doubters wrong.
The 70-cap international also added that his future is unclear, as he may be part of the ever-increasing number of Wallabies that move abroad after the World Cup.
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