Quade Cooper shows with his performance against All Blacks he is getting over personal NZ hoodoo

WHEN the booing started under the roof of Dunedin’s echo chamber, Quade Cooper lined up his first shot at goal with a jet engine level of noise around him.

Quade Cooper

WHEN the booing started under the roof of DunedinÂ’s echo chamber, Quade Cooper lined up his first shot at goal with a jet engine level of noise around him.

That the often-maligned Wallaby five-eighth calmly smacked it between the posts and did so another five times for a 100 per cent goalkicking record is proof Cooper is finally burying his demons against the All Blacks.

It’s not before time, but Saturday night’s level of control is a huge plus.

His fraught 2011 World Cup semi-final, when he hoofed the kick-off out on the full in Auckland, can thankfully now be replaced by this performance as a measure of what he is capable of on Kiwi soil.

Cooper knows his development, against the All Blacks, is still a work in progress and that was perhaps the most impressive aspect when he spoke post-Test.

He knows he has to keep improving his consistency. And he knows he has to guide wins not merely competitive performances like this 41-33 loss.

“You can’t silence it. All you can do is kick well, do your job well for the team and then that sound starts to dim down in your head,” Cooper said matter-of-factly of the booing chorus.

He quietened the little voices in his head that jerk him into wasteful grubber kicks and poor off-loads as well.

“It (the booing) is not something I enjoy but I’ve come to expect it. When I’m at training I think about that so when I come out onto the field it doesn’t surprise me,” he said.

Two years ago, he could not have put a strong front-on tackle and bodycheck on All Blacks flanker Liam Messam to save a try 5m from his tryline.

“Going out there in front of a tough crowd, against the best team in the world, and putting a few things together as a team and on a personal level is good moving forward,” Cooper said.

“It’s all the hard work we’re doing as a team and individually that’s starting to pay off.”

There is still a bigger gap between the sides than the eight points on the scoreboard.

The All Blacks play with a speed unmatched in world rugby and were always a step ahead knowing the Aaron Cruden kick pass was coming or realigning swiftly for the Kieran Read try after a gang-tackle turnover on James Slipper.

A tight arm-wrestle with ACT Brumbies mate Christian Lealiifano is certain for the inside centre spot against England at Twickenham on November 2 after Matt Toomua’s resonant and versatile audition in Dunedin.

The Cooper-Toomua partnership in midfield looked the best balanced of the season and the blowtorch from the world champion All Blacks would have exposed it if it was anything less.

In Toomua, the Wallabies finally had a No.12 who could take the ball to the line with some power and also distribute.

“Matt showed he could play the position and he’s now at home at this level,” coach Ewen McKenzie said.

“There are also things people never see about Christian. He’s tough because he’s played the whole season uncomplainingly with a little fracture in the ankle that blows it up twice the size as the other. He just gets on with it as a really respected team member.

“The unknown when I came into this job was the depth in playmakers. I take the biggest comfort going to Europe knowing now we can handle an injury with Quade, Matt and Christian there and also a smart guy like Bernard Foley on the scene now.”

Cooper said flying into a five-Test European tour from Friday will only feed the chemistry of a Wallabies team building belief and combinations.

No trophy on the line and perfect conditions contributed to the freedom with which the Wallabies played, but Cooper felt it was more than that.

“Of course, there’s a lot more freedom and balance now we have found our feet with things that work and things that don’t because you can’t be totally one-sided running or kicking,” Cooper said.

McKenzie is still a two-from-seven Test coach.

Winning all five Tests on tour would only rebuild his strike rate to 50 per cent. Like the Wallabies, repairing the stats is a long haul but one with a smile too it now because the Wallabies have embraced positive play.