Quade Cooper hits back at Eddie Jones before addressing retirement question

Wallabies fly-half Quade Cooper has taken a dig at former head coach Eddie Jones, who questioned his character last week.

The 63-year-old dropped some of his more experienced players, including Cooper, Michael Hooper and Bernard Foley, ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

Jones was then asked after Australia’s disastrous World Cup campaign whether he regretted that call, but he insisted that he stood by the controversial decision.

Not role models

The ex-England head honcho then went on to say that they weren’t the ‘right role models’ for Australian rugby.

Hooper, who is ironically playing for Jones’ Barbarians side this weekend, played a straight bat when given the opportunity to speak on the matter, but Cooper took a different tack.

The fly-half had his off-field issues earlier on his career and, at times, was not known for his professionalism, but he has knuckled down since entering his 30s.

Cooper has very much been committed to rugby over recent times and posted a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, which revealed his approach to the sport.

“Training camp 23/24 complete. Funny, this week my will and desire to win were questioned by a former coach. To me, the way I view winning and success is through preparation,” it read.

“No outcome is guaranteed, but what you can guarantee is the work and preparation you put in. You know that you have given yourself and your team the best possible opportunity to win. That’s where confidence is born.

“Confidence does not come from knowing the outcome; it comes from knowing that you’ve done the work, and you will have your own back regardless of the outcome.”

Wallabies future

If Jones were to remain as Wallabies boss, that could have been the end of Cooper at international level, but the 63-year-old resigned following the national team’s World Cup failure.

That has potentially opened the door for the 35-year-old and the playmaker has duly confirmed that he plans to fight for his place in the Test side.

“I ain’t retired… be interesting to see who the new coach will be,” the 35-year-old wrote on his Facebook story.

“I enjoyed working with the young guns coming through not just as a mentor but as a competitor. But time will tell.”

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