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Queensland Reds fans turn on team after loss to former flyhalf Quade Cooper

Quade Cooper against the Reds. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

When crowd favourite Quade Cooper went south to join the Melbourne Rebels after being unwanted by Reds head coach Brad Thorn, they risked a number of fans going with him.

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Delivering a Super Rugby title to the hapless Reds in 2011 was always going to provide some level of emotional attachment to their favourite star, so when he returned last night to beat his old team there no shortage of Reds fans cheering him on.

Some describe feeling elated at seeing Cooper beat his old team, while some claimed to still be ‘ashamed’ at how the organisation treated one of the most decorated players.

https://twitter.com/StanleyNatuoivi/status/1111970595128795137

https://twitter.com/maxgraham74/status/1111932462937133057

Cooper turned up in the 32-13 thrashing of the young Reds side, adding two more try assists to his season-leading tally of eight. The Rebels moved to reclaim top spot in the Australian conference after the Waratahs lost to the Sunwolves on Friday night.

“There was a few people that sort of feel that I must have left them,” Cooper told Fox Sports in his post-match interview.

“But it wasn’t the boys that didn’t want me. The boys were the ones that we were playing against and I love those boys.”

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Cooper said that he still supports the Reds whenever they aren’t playing the Rebels and that seeing the side struggle makes him sad.

“For me, I don’t want to see them go down, I want to win when we play against them but I’m always supporting them. I want this franchise to do well.

“It’s a little bit sad to see when they’re struggling a little bit, on and off the field.”

Brad Thorn offered short praise to the pair of former Reds’ halves following the loss.

“He’s on the winning side and he contributed to a really good win for them,” Thorn said.

“So well done to him and Will.

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Nickers 17 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

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