Cooper back to haunt Boks

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The Wallabies are set to unleash Quade Cooper on the Springboks in the 2022 Rugby Championship with the mercurial playmaker selected for the July series against England.

Wallabies coach Dave Rennie on Thursday named Cooper, Samu Kerevi and Marika Koroibete as Australia’s overseas selections for the three-Test series Down Under.

The Boks are to face the Australians at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, 27 August with their second encounter scheduled for the following week in New South Wales on 3 September.

James O’Connor’s absence in the 2021 Rugby Championship paved the way for Cooper to earn a memorable recall. The 34-year-old marked his return to Test rugby by kicking the winning penalty against the Boks on the Gold Coast in September.

Rennie, who is to name his 35-man squad on Sunday, is restricted to picking only three overseas-based players and said that the trio had been outstanding form for their clubs in Japan.

“It’s probably not that secret anyway but we’ve got Quade, Samu and Marika all coming back,” he told reporters at an event to unveil Sydney’s new Allianz Stadium.

“Quade and Samu are here in Sydney just getting medical checks, Marika went straight to Fiji to spend some time with his family and he’ll be back on the weekend.

“It’s exciting. I’m not sure if you saw the [Japanese League One] final with Panasonic and Marika was phenomenal. He hasn’t lost any of his physicality or his work ethic, so we’re excited to see him back.”

Rennie said the 34-year-old Cooper had “a massive impact” when he joined the squad during the Rugby Championship last year and Kerevi “only played a handful of Tests and was nominated for [World Rugby] player of the year, which just highlights the impact that he had”.

Rennie will also name a 30-man Australia A squad to play Tonga, Samoa and Fiji as part of the Pacific Nations Cup in July and to develop more depth at international level.

He announced his plans as officials unveiled the opening fixtures for the new Sydney stadium, with the Wallabies to host the world champion Boks in the first international event at the 42,500-seat venue on 3 September.

“We are extremely excited to be able to host the first-ever international event at the new Allianz Stadium,” Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos said.

“To have the Wallabies taking on the world champion Springboks in front of over 40,000 supporters is going to be an amazing experience, and one I’m sure those in attendance will never forget.”

The state-of-the-art stadium provides rain cover for all spectators, with clear sightlines to the pitch and multiple video screens.

The Wallabies play three Tests against England on 2, 9 and 16 July, to be followed by two Tests each against Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand in the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship in August and September.

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© Agence France-Presse

 

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Devin Hermanus